


Lemons of Life

by Madam Lavinia Supperton (TheCumberLadyInTheWoods)



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Hale Family, Alternate Universe - Werewolves Are Known, Frottage, M/M, Marriage Contracts, Neck Kissing, Scenting, True Mates, off screen character deaths
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-12
Updated: 2015-02-19
Packaged: 2018-03-12 00:21:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 23,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3337562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCumberLadyInTheWoods/pseuds/Madam%20Lavinia%20Supperton
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles can rank most of the important moments of his life on a scale that ranges from ‘bad’ to ‘worst possible thing to ever happen in the history of horrible things to happen’. </p>
<p>So on the morning of his eighteenth birthday when Melissa opens the door to find Derek Hale standing on their stoop with a mating contract and a hefty check that will allow his surrogate mother to live very well for the rest of her natural life Stiles is unable to believe it. Because:</p>
<p>One) These things, potentially good things, never happen to him and,</p>
<p>Two) it’s Derek-fucking-Hale! As in billionaire, Alpha, next in line to rule the world werewolf Derek Hale!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. ..Horrible Things..

Stiles can rank most of the important moments of his life on a scale that ranges from ‘ _bad’_ to ‘ _worst possible thing to ever happen in the history of horrible things to happen’_. Like on his eighth birthday when he woke up to find his father sitting at their kitchen table drunk and crying because his mother had died that morning. Or four years later when his dad got called to the scene of a robbery and the perpetrator was still there and he was killed “in the line of duty” leaving Stiles an orphan.

He had gone to live with his best friend Scott McCall and Scott’s mother Melissa after the court had granted her custody of him. Life hadn’t been _horrible_ after that and things had been good for the next several years. Then when he was sixteen Scott and his fiancée Allison Argent were bitten by a rouge werewolf while the three of them were trespassing on private property and died. At that point Stiles had come to accept the fact that he is cursed and everyone who loved him would die.

So on the morning of his eighteenth birthday when Melissa opens the door to find Derek Hale standing on their stoop with a mating contract and a hefty check that will allow his surrogate mother to live _very_ well for the rest of her natural life Stiles is unable to believe it. Because:

One) These things, potentially good things, _never_ happen to him and,

Two) it’s _Derek-fucking-Hale!_ As in billionaire, Alpha, next in line to rule the world werewolf Derek Hale!

Okay, so maybe he’s not going to ‘rule the world’ but if anyone could do it then it would be him and his family. He knows Derek in name only and from the fact that his photograph is in the Beacon Hill Gazette pretty much every week for one reason or another. He is usually pictured with his sisters Laura Hale-Whittemore (who is a senator for the state of California and mated to a boy Stiles went to high school with for a short time before he mated and went to be homeschooled) and Cora Hale (a model who is the current face of both Cover Girl and Victoria Secret) or his mother Talia Hale (who just so happens to be the Alpha of one of the three largest werewolf clans in the entire world). The Hale’s are basically werewolf royalty and Stiles is just really unsure as to why the gorgeous man and one of his equally beautiful sister are currently sitting in his dining room.

“Um,” he mutters dumbly as he stares across the scarred wooden kitchen table at the stack of papers Laura had just sat there as well as a check. Dear Lord that was a _lot_ of zeros. He lets his gaze move slowly up to meet Derek’s. The wolf’s face is blank as he looks back, his forest green eyes fixed intently on the younger man sitting across from him. Stiles squirms under the attention because this is _Derek Hale_ staring at him as if he is the last piece of fruit on a tray and he hasn’t had anything to eat in months.

“You seem…confused.” Laura, who apparently had nothing better to do today than accompany her brother, says with a smile as she sits sipping coffee Melissa had made when they arrived. Stiles moves his gaze over to her and is struck by how the two of them look almost nothing alike aside from sharing the same green eyes and dark hair. Laura has a soft look about her and exudes femininity. She’s wearing a tan pants suit with the pastel pink lace camisole peeking out from under the jacket and her shoes are the same color as her purse which matches the pink belt looped around her hips. Her makeup is subtle and used to accentuate the perfect skin she already has. She looks like she just stepped off the cover of Vogue, which to be perfectly honest might not be completely outside the realm of possibility. He actually remembers seeing her on the cover of the fashion magazine a few years ago.

“I guess that’s because I am. I mean…I don’t even know you, any of you.” Stiles voices his concern and looks over to where Melissa is sitting beside him. Though she’s just turned forty-eight she looks like she’s thirty. He’s always thought she was beautiful even with the look of pure exhaustion that seems to be a constant for her. Her eyes are shadowed now with concern for him. She reaches across the space that separates them and gives his knee a reassuring squeeze. Dropping one of his hands from the table he twines their fingers together, taking comfort from the fact that she is there. Melissa has always been a sort of silent force hovering around him, protecting him from everything she can. He is reminded of how thankful he is to have her in his life, especially when Laura speaks again.

“Well, we know all about you Stiles. You were one of five candidates hand selected by our mother for Derek. He took one look at your picture and picked you without even looking at the rest.” The senator says this as if he should be flattered.

He isn’t.

Okay, maybe he is…a little.

“But that doesn’t change the fact that I’ve never meet any of you or seen you anywhere but in the newspaper. Until two years ago I didn’t even know werewolves existed!” Stiles is close to screaming now and can’t seem to make his heart stop kicking against his ribcage. He feels Melissa flinch at his raised voice. There are penalties, legal and lawful penalties, for upsetting Alphas even if said Alpha is in your home and not in their territory. Stupid werewolf/human law crap.

“Yes, we know about that as well. The Hale family offers our sincerest condolences on the death of your son and his fiancée, Ms. McCall.” Laura sounds truly apologetic as she turns her focus from Stiles to Melissa and the older woman thanks her with a small smile.

“Can we have a minute alone?” Derek asks finally. Stiles jumps as he focuses his attention back on the man sitting across from him. Good God in heaven but he is fine. He’s all sharp jaw line and rough good looks with those dark green eyes staring and intense. It’s kind of like being sucked into a whirlpool and knowing you’re going to go under but you still give it a last ditch effort to try and get out. His three piece suit is better suited for a boardroom than Melissa’s tiny dining room but Stiles has to admit he doesn’t mind seeing him in it. The black fabric has obviously been tailored to fit the Alpha’s body and damn what a body it is. Wide shoulders and thick biceps, a thin waist and long miles of legs that end in a pair of the shiniest shoes Stiles has ever seen. He hasn’t had a chance to see if Derek’s backside is as amazing as he thinks it is but he’s willing to bet that the back of the man lives up to the expectations of the front.

He watches as the wolf’s nose twitches and his eyes darken just a bit more. Shit, fucking werewolves and their stupid heightened senses. Though he doesn’t know much about Derek’s kind in general he did pay attention in anatomy class when Mr. Parris had detailed the differences between humans and werewolves. Wolf’s can use their sense of smell to differentiate between emotions, among other things, and Stiles has no doubt that the completely unexpected and inappropriate lust he is feeling is coming through Derek’s wolfy senses loud and clear.

“Derek, I don’t think its approp…” Laura starts with a shake of her head but he cuts her off by raising his hand and speaking over her.

“Just a few minutes Laura and you can wait right outside.” He turns his head to look at his sister. “Please,” he pleads with her and after a moment’s hesitation the woman excuses herself and leaves the house. Melissa retreats to the kitchen and shuts the door firmly behind her after giving him a hug and whispering that if he needs her she’ll be right on the other side of the door. Stiles tries not to feel trapped in the small space of the dining room but he does because if Derek really wants to he could make Stiles do anything he wants. Alphas have that power and it’s both scary as hell and kind of fascinating to the teenager.

“Stiles…Can I call you Stiles or would you like me to call you something else?” The younger man blinks owlishly at him for a few moments before he can come up with the words to respond. It never occurred to him that Derek would be so…well, _polite_. Most of the Alphas he has known since the werewolf population came out into the open (which has admittedly been one and he had killed Scott and Allison) have been assholes who demanded and took what they wanted and killed indiscriminately those they felt posed a threat to their rule.

“No, no, Stiles is fine.” He clears his throat and starts bouncing his leg up and down under the table and wishes he’d remembered to take his Adderral this morning. He hates the restrained feeling he gets from the medication, kind of like he can feel something inside of his skin burning to get out but it can’t no matter how hard it tries, but he hates the excess of energy even more and the way his mind tends to wander from subject to subject while he’s trying to focus.

“Okay, good. Look, I know this is all kind of strange to you…” Stiles chuckles at that because strange is far too mild a word and doesn’t even begin to cover it.

“Try completely and totally outside the realm anything I’ve ever known before.” He interrupts the man without thinking and feels a moment of panic when Derek goes quite. Interrupting an Alpha when they are speaking is like cardinal sin numero uno in werewolf culture. But Derek just smirks at him after a beat of silence and continues.

“Right, I forget you’re human and don’t know much about werewolf society but let me assure you that I’m not some weirdo who _wants_ to pay someone to be my mate. I’m an Alpha, _the_ Alpha of the Western Pack. Or at least I will be when my mother steps down in a few months and that’s why she picked the candidates and gave me the choice. I need to find a mate before she leaves her post or by Pack Law I can’t have the position and it’ll go to Laura’s husband.” As Derek speaks Stiles finds he enjoys the deep growl of the Alpha’s voice. He also feels a little better about the situation now that he knows this isn’t Derek being some rich weirdo and that there is actually a _really_ good reason behind his proposal. He wouldn’t want a major douche like Jackson Whittemore running the second largest wolf pack in the world either.

“So, your mom picked five people at random and just handed you their picture and told you to choose one?” Derek frowns and shakes his head.

“No, Laura was oversimplifying it greatly. My mother has spent months compiling files on all the available men and women in Beacon Hills and then weeding through them until she found five people she thought would be a compatible match for me. Only then did I get involved and I read all the files. I didn’t just pick you because of your pretty face.”

And _whoa_ , Derek Hale just said he has a pretty face. Stiles feels a blush rising on his cheeks as he clears his throat and wiggles in his seat.

“So you know about…like _everything_ in my life?” Stiles asks in an attempt to change the subject and because he isn’t really sure how he feels about that. It seems to intrusive and unfair because he doesn’t know shit about the Alpha.

“Yes and no. I know all the things that are public record. We didn’t stalk you or anything.” Derek reaches into the briefcase Laura had pulled the mating contract from and produces two file folders. After a moment of hesitation he slides them across the table to Stiles who takes them and notices that one has his name (his _whole_ name in all its monstrosity) in typeface on the tab and the other has…the other has Derek’s name. “It seems only fair that you should know as much about me as I do about you and also what I already know about you.” The Alpha explains as he sits back in the chair and folds his hands on the surface of the table. His eyes are soft now and so green that it makes the younger man feel like he can see right through him and straight into his soul. Stiles swallows and nods as he looks down at the folders unable to maintain eye contact with the older man.

“So…what exactly would it mean if I accepted your proposal?” Stiles asks as he brings a hand up to fiddle with the corner of one of the folders. He’s dying to open the one about Derek, to see what its contents have to say about the man sitting across from him but he needs to know more about the contract first. He doesn’t see the point in opening the folder if he isn’t at least going to consider Derek’s offer.

“It would mean a lot of different things actually. As a human it would mean you are my husband, my partner. As a wolf you’d be my mate, my anchor. If you wanted The Bite then I’d offer it to you but if not then I wouldn’t pressure you. Everything of mine would be yours and vice versa. You’d be adopted into our pack and receive all the benefits and protection we have to offer. You get a monthly stipend to spend as you see fit and if you wanted to continue your education then I’d provide for that as well. I will be honest and tell you that I don’t like the idea of my mate going away to school but I have researched several online programs and we could discuss other options. I would be totally responsible for you and in return you’d defer to me for all decisions as I’d be your Alpha.” Stiles stares at him openly now. The way Derek explains it makes him wonder if there is a downside to this agreement because _hello_ , his own money to spend on what he wants and college! He also appreciates that he wouldn’t be expected to take The Bite because after what happened to Scott and Allison that would be a major deal breaker for him. Stiles likes being human, thank you very much. Something else nags at the back of his brain at that moment and he finds himself opening his mouth and letting the words tumble out before he can stop himself.

“What about…uh, what about… _consummating_ the marriage?”

He’s an eighteen year old virgin okay! It’s totally natural that he’d be curious about that part of this arrangement. He see’s Derek smirk knowingly and drops his eyes back down to the table.

“It would be expected but you wouldn’t be obligated to… _service_ me beyond that. You also wouldn’t be allowed to take any lovers and I wouldn’t either.” Stiles makes a face at the thought. A werewolf’s life expectancy is around five times longer than that of a human. They’d basically be forced to live like monks or spend their spare time watching porn and jerking off. He doesn’t much like the thought of either of those options.

He steals a quick glance at Derek and okay, so servicing the werewolf wouldn’t be a hardship. He feels pretty confident the Alpha is probably experienced and likely has a string of ex-lovers who all left his bed satisfied. He just doesn’t strike Stiles as the kind of guy who would do anything halfway or bad. He remembers Danny, a boy he went to school with and who sometimes would sit with him during Chemistry and at lunch. Danny had been promised to an Alpha from the Eastern Pack when he was a little kid (apparently a select few people had known about werewolves a lot longer than the general population) and he had talked in a lot of detail about the summers he’d spent with Ethan, his betrothed, at the Alpha’s lake house after the existence of werewolves become common knowledge. His friend had been very attached to his Alpha and apparently the Alpha had been very attached to him as well.

“Anything else? Not about that but about the contract?” Stiles asks in an attempt to stir himself away from the topic of sex, especially sex with Derek who is giving him this knowing look that makes his stomach do a flip-flop and his heart pound like he’s just ran a marathon.

“Nope, that’s pretty much it. You can read through the contract before you make a decision and if there is anything you’d like to change or have clarified then we’ll discuss it.” Derek tells him as he reaches out and pushes the mating contract across the table toward him. He reaches out to take it and their fingers brush in the process. It’s like a current of electricity shots straight through Stiles, his fingers begin to tingle and he feels the fine hairs on the back of his neck stand up. The Alpha isn’t unaffected either if the way his eyes lift to Stiles’ and flash red for a brief moment before changing back into their beautiful green is any indication.

“When would you like a decision?” Stiles asks to cover up the tense moment that seems to have passed over them. The werewolf hesitates for a moment before he responds.

“By the end of the week,” Derek reaches into his jacket pocket and produces a simple white business card which his slides across the table to Stiles, careful to prevent their fingers from touching again. “If you have any questions or want to discuss any changes just let me know. Otherwise I’ll see you and Ms. McCall on Friday at noon.” As he stands up Stiles is surprised to find himself wanting to tell Derek not to go but he doesn’t because…well, he can’t think of any other reason to ask the man to stay nor does he understand the urge to ask him to stay. Stiles is pretty sure that the werewolf pheromones that the Alpha is giving off are screwing with his head. So he walks the Alpha to the door silently. And what do you know! His back half totally lives up to the front.

Laura is sitting on the porch swing with her legs crossed and typing furiously on her phone with a deep scowl twisting her perfect face. When she hears the door open she looks up and smiles brightly.

“Everything okay?”

“Yes,” Derek tells her as he turns around and settles his gaze on Stiles again. They must stare at each other a moment to long because when Laura clears her throat Derek blushes and it’s just about the cutest damn thing Stiles has ever seen.

“I’ll see you Friday,” he tells the older man as he reaches out his hand. The Alpha looks confused for a moment.

“Oh, Derek you’ve been around wolves to long. He’s offering you a handshake.” Laura says with a roll of her eyes as she gets up to come stand beside her brother and winks at Stiles. “You’ll have to forgive him. He is a lawyer for the Were Counciland sometimes he forgets to act like a human.” Stiles nods and drops his hand.

“How would…what would be the proper way to say ‘see ya later’ then?”

“Well, normally since you’re a human and a lower rank you’d just expose your neck to him to show submission and deference.” Stiles furrows his brow at that. “But I think considering the circumstances maybe we should just stick to a handshake.” Laura elbows Derek in the ribs and he growls at her as he extends his hand toward Stiles.

“We’ll be back on Friday.” He says as Stiles puts his hand into Derek’s and electricity shots through him again only this time his whole arm starts to tingle and his stomach feels like a thousand butterflies are trapped inside and looking for a way to escape. When he sees Derek’s eyes flash red again he isn’t sure how it makes him feel that his dick gives a little twitch of interest.

“Yeah,” he says a little breathless and then stands in the open doorway watching as Derek and Laura descend the front steps and walk down the little flower lined path to the sleek black limo that’s waiting for them.

As he turns to go back inside he realizes that not only has he agreed to meet with Derek again but he has also agreed to consider his offer. He freezes as he pushes the door open.

“I’m so fucked,” he whispers to the reflection of himself that is staring at him from the mirror in the hallway and goes to find Melissa.


	2. ..Potential..

“How’d it go? Did he accept your offer?” Talia Hale, his mother and Alpha, is waiting for him and Laura as soon as they step inside the giant mansion that was Derek’s childhood home. She smiles expectantly at them. He doesn’t answer right away as he steps up to his mother and kisses her affectionately on the cheek, receiving a hug in return, before doing the same when his father comes meandering out of his study with his uncle, Peter Hale, in tow. He doesn’t kiss Peter (shudders at the mere thought) but instead nods his head in acknowledgement. His uncle offers a twitch of his lips which Derek supposes is supposed to be a smile.

“Well?” His uncle prompts as the five of them make their way into the sitting room just off the foyer. Derek heads straight for the side bar and pours himself a generous portion of Wolfsbane Bourbon. He has to resist the urge to roll his eyes as he throws back most of the wolfsbane laced alcohol and feels the burn in his gut.

“That bad?” His father, Mark Hale, asks as he settles into one of the overstuffed armchairs and sends his son a sympathetic look. And that’s his dad, the sensitive human male, always ready with a shoulder to cry on or a word of advice in any situation. With a heavy sigh Derek puts away the glass and the decanter. He drops down onto the love seat beside Laura and shakes his head.

“No, it went about as well as I expected it to. I mean, it’s not like he remembers me or anything. The last time he saw me he was standing over the body of his dead best friend and I didn’t exactly look like me.” He brings a hand up and runs it over his face. “He did agree to read the contract though and look through the file. We’re supposed to go back Friday and he’ll give me his decision.” Talia sends him a pleased smile at the information and Peter winks at him. His dad just continues to look concerned because unlike everyone else he knows _why_ Derek chose Stiles out of all the other options his mother had given him.

“So, tell me about him Laura. Is Stiles all Derek seems to think he is?” Talia asks her oldest child as she reaches out and picks up one of the wedding magazines that have started showing up at the house since he made his choice to ask Stiles to be his mate. Laura looks at him with a smirk before turning back to their mother.

“Oh, he’s everything he said and more. The kid was basically drooling over Derek at one point and I thought I was going to have to get the water hose on them. All the eye-sex was disgustingly adorable.” And there is his sister is an evil brat. Sometimes it’s hard for him to believe that she is nearly six years older than him and a senator.

“Laura,” the Alpha male groans as his mother starts to giggle and Peter lets out a puff of air that might be a laugh but Derek can never be sure. He drops his head down into his hands and prays to every deity he can think of to allow the floor to open up and swallow him whole right now.

“You didn’t tell him did you?” Mark whispers when Peter, Laura, and his mother turn their attention to planning his wedding. _Be prepared for anything and hope for the best,_ has kind of become the family motto in the last couple of years since the rouge wolf tore through Beacon Hills and the existence of werewolves was exposed to the human race. He thinks maybe he should be more involved in the planning of his own wedding but he remembers how much his mom and uncle love this from when Laura was married so he just sits back and lets them have at it. He wonders briefly if Stiles will want to be involved in finalizing the wedding plans. He feels the corners of his mouth twitch at the thought.

“No, it wasn’t right to tell him. I couldn’t put that on him. If he chooses me it’ll be because he _wants_ to not because I force it on him.”

“You know, this is how I know you’ll be a good Alpha to the pack.”

“Really? Because sometimes…” Derek trails off when his father leans forward and puts a reassuring hand on his bicep.

“Don’t ever doubt yourself, son. You have been groomed for this since you were born and you’ve had the best teacher anyone could ask for.” Mark sends an affectionate look over his shoulder to where Talia and Laura are arguing over which flower arrangement would look better for the center pieces. Derek can’t help but smile at the goofy grin his dad gets on his face when his mother flashes her Alpha eyes at Laura.

“That’s true enough,” he agrees as he gets up and heads for the door without a backwards glance. As much as he loves being around his family, right now he just needs a few minutes alone to process. Not only is there the potential at the end of the week he could be engaged but he could also be engaged to his _True Mate_. That thought alone is enough to have him nearly out of his mind with both terror and joy. The wolf inside of him gives an impatient growl because it knows Stiles is his True Mate and its only concern is to find and claim the Mate. But the human side of Derek, the side that he listens to a lot more than anyone would really believe given his position and his behavior, tells him that it would be wrong to claim Stiles without his permission and that he needs to let the human make his own choice on the matter. If Stiles accepts his contract then they will discuss what he is to Derek. If Stile rejects him…well, he doesn’t want to think about that.

When he reaches the door to his rooms he gives a sigh of relief that no one is inside waiting on him. Cora has a horrible habit of hiding out in his room until he gets home because their mom and dad have been bothering her about her relationship with Derek’s beta Isaac. As an Alpha Cora is permitted to mate only a human or an omega by Pack Law but Derek is pretty sure the second he takes over Isaac is going to come to him and ask him to make an exception and he is pretty sure that he is going to do it. Mostly because if he doesn’t and Cora challenges him, he is confident he’ll probably lose. And because he wants to see his sister happy. But mostly because she could beat him in a fight and that would be really embarrassing for him as he’d be the pack Alpha and all.

The second the door is shut behind him Derek strips off the expensive suit and hangs it in the bag to send to the dry cleaners. He walks through the sitting area into the bedroom and straight into the bathroom. He flips the shower on cold and shucks his boxer briefs. Under the icy spray of water he leans his head against the white tiles and focuses on his breathing. Being around Stiles had been hard today, especially given the Alpha’s instincts to claim him. He had wanted so bad to scent him before they left but hadn’t been able to come up with a good excuse. Besides Laura was right there and would have known what was going on if he had tried it.

Derek lets his mind conjure up an image of Stiles has he’d been today. He groans as he remembers all that beautiful pale skin with the little moles and freckles dotting it, big eyes that looked like warm amber and framed by impossibly long lashes. Then there were those lips, puffy and pink and just begging him to lose his control and kiss the younger man until neither of them could breathe. He’d had on a white t-shirt and blue plaid pajama bottoms during their meeting and the combo was a bigger turn on for him than any of the sexy lingerie his past lovers had worn. Then there was his scent! The Alpha wanted to roll around in it until he was completely soaked, until every part of him smelled like Stiles. His scent was a mixture of sugar and warm honey with a faint undertone of something smoky, like wood burning. Derek had never had much of a sweet tooth but for the teenager he could quickly develop one. Even though the water was icy he felt his cock stirs with interest and he has to push all thoughts of his True Mate away. The wolf howled its distress but ignored for now.

When he feels a little more in control of himself he turns the spray over to hot and showers. As he is stepping out he hears his cell phone chime the arrival of a text message and frowns. He doesn’t have a single contact who texts him purely because he finds it annoying and impersonal. Everyone calls him, even if it’s just Laura to tell him to bring home milk. So he walks out into the bedroom with a towel slung low around his waist and grabs his phone from the bedside table.

Incoming _: I have two questions about all this. 1 – What if it doesn’t work out? Can we go our separate ways? 2 – If I agree to this do I need to have my stuff packed when you show up here on Friday?_

He looks down at the screen of his phone and feels like his stomach is tying itself into knots. That second part, it kind of makes it sound like Stiles is going to agree and his wolf gives a howl and he feels his heart kick hard inside his chest and he worries for a second when he can’t breathe and his whole body starts to tingle that he may be the first werewolf in history to have a heart attack.

Opening a new message he slowly types a response. He has to delete it twice because the message doesn’t sound right and then deletes it again by accident when his finger slips. It takes nearly fifteen minutes but he finally looks down at the two lines of text he’s written. They are simple and to the point answer to Stiles’ questions. He thinks the boy will appreciate that.

Outgoing _: 1 – If it doesn’t work we can dissolve the bond, no harm done. 2 – If you agree I’d like it very much if you’d come with me on Friday, your choice._

As he hits send he can’t help but smile and hopes that Friday he’ll be bring home his fiancée.

He dresses for dinner, humming to himself and it’s not until he’s pulling on his favorite pair of blue jeans that he realizes he’s not alone in the room. He turns with claws out and eyes red, to find Cora and Laura standing in the doorway to his bedroom looking as if they’ve never seen him before in their lives.

“Excuse yourself there, oh Alpha mine, but are you fucking humming?” Cora asks as she strides into the room, completely uncaring that he’s still half naked and hasn’t invited her into his space. As an Alpha of higher rank than her Cora is supposed to wait to be acknowledged and granted access to his space but as his little sister he knows she feels entitled to do whatever the hell she wants.

“Language,” Laura says in a voice that tells just how much she reminds Cora to watch her mouth. Their mother would absolutely kill her if she overheard the way his little sister talks sometimes. The younger girl shrugs and flops down face first on Derek’s bed.

“I’m almost twenty-one. I can say what I please Laura.” She grumbles into his blanket.

“You want to tell that to mom?” Laura shoots back as she comes inside the room and flops down onto the bench in front of his bed. Neither of them has any respect for him.

“No,” Cora growls as she rises up onto her elbows and glares at their sister before turning her red eyes to him. “And you better not say a word either Derek or so help me…”

“I wasn’t planning on it.” He tells her as he accepts the fact that this is his life and these are his siblings and wonders how Stiles will react to them. He seemed to be intimidated by Laura but then again they had taken him by surprise so he doesn’t feel that it was a good impression. He likes to think Stiles will fit in perfectly with his sisters. He does worry about Jackson, Laura’s husband, because as much as he adores his older sister he barely tolerates his brother-in-law. Derek has had very vivid fantasies about killing the man in the past especially during Council Meetings. Jackson holds a minor position as a Council member who is for creating new laws and regulations for the pack and Derek is pretty sure that the man thinks he’s far more important than he really is. It’s annoying, _very_ annoying. But Laura, for whatever reason, loves the boy to the point of distraction so he tolerates the other Alpha’s presence.

“So, humming?” Cora prompts as she reaches to the top of the bed and snags one of his pillows from around the headboard to make herself comfortable.

“Yeah, so?” He says with a shrug, trying to play it off.

“Grumpy Gills McHale is humming a love song and all I get is a so?” She actually looks offended by the brush off and he fights the smirk he feels beginning to spread across his face.

“I wasn’t humming a…” Derek stops there because he realizes that yeah, he was humming a love song.

“I’m sorry you were lying what?” Cora asks as she leans her head to the side and brings her hand up to cup around her ear as if to hear him better. He doesn’t say a word as he goes back to digging through his drawers for a shirt. “I thought so. Now want to tell us _why_ you’re humming or do I have to beat it out of you?” He finally finds the green polo his mother loves so much and pulls it over his head. Part of him wants to tell them about his suspicion that Stiles is going to say yes to his proposal but another part of him wants to keep that little tidbit all to himself and bask in it. He looks at Cora and Laura in the mirror on his dresser and can’t help it when his face splits into a wide grin.

“I just have a good feeling about the proposal. I feel like…I feel like he might possibly say yes and I’m...”

“You’re excited about it because you actually like him.” Laura finishes for him as she smiles back at his reflection in the mirror. The two of them have always been close and it doesn’t surprise him at all that she can read his expression like a book.

“Yes,” he confirms just as Peter throws open the door to his sitting room and announces that dinner is ready. No respect, no respect from _anyone_. Cora and Laura both leave immediately for the dining room but Derek lingers for a moment, staring down at the text from Stiles and letting himself get lost in the thought that maybe, just maybe this is all going to work out in his favor.


	3. ..Love Story, Say Yes...

On Friday Stiles walks up at just after nine and only because Melissa is outside his bedroom door vacuuming the hallway again for the third time in two days. With a groan he pulls his pillow over his head and tells himself that he is making the right decision. Accepting Derek’s proposal is not only a good thing for Melissa (because hello, that check is for more than she’ll make in a _lifetime_ at the hospital) but also for him. Though he only spent a little time with the Alpha he likes the way he makes him feel, likes that he talks to him like he’s a person and not a possession, likes that he isn’t an asshole, likes that out of all the eligible men and women in Beacon Hills he chose him.

When it becomes painfully obvious Melissa isn’t going to stop vacuuming anytime soon Stiles throws his legs over the bed and scrubs a hand over his face. He looks across the room to where his things are sitting packed away in boxes. There aren’t that many and most of it is books and DVD’s. His whole life fits neatly into five medium sized boxes and a computer bag.

“Stiles? You awake honey?” Melissa calls through the door when he stands up and promptly smashes his little toe against the desk that sits beside his bed.

“Fucking…Yeah, I’m up.” He calls back and sits back down on the bed to pull his foot up into his lap to survey the damage. It’s a little red but he can wiggle it back and forth so it’s probably not broken. The teenager glares daggers at the offending piece of wood before getting up and leaving his room.

He finds Melissa in the kitchen mixing a bowl of what appears to be banana pancakes with chocolate chips, his favorite breakfast food. There are two place settings on the little table in the corner and a steaming cup of coffee sitting beside one of the plates.

“Have I mentioned that I love you and don’t know how it the world I’m going to ever live without you?” He says as he walks over to the older woman who has been his mom since he was twelve and wraps his arms around her waist. Melissa chuckles as she puts the bowl down and wraps her arms around his shoulders. Stiles can tell by the way she’s clinging to him that she’d doing her best not to burst into tears. Yesterday when he had told her over dinner that he was going to accept Derek’s proposal she had cried for an hour. Not because she was sad per say but because she was scared for him, terrified that the Alpha was going to lock him away and she’d never see him again. He had promised her that he wouldn’t let that happen.

“Well, lucky for you you’ll never have to find out because even though you’re going off to marry some big bad Alpha werewolf my door is always going to be open to you.” When Melissa pulls back she takes his cheeks in her hands and pulling his head down pressing a kiss to his forehead. “No matter what, you can always come back home Stiles.” And okay, now he’s starting to get chocked up.

“I’ll remember that,” he tells her around the lump that’s formed in his throat as he releases her to go over to the table and drink his coffee. The kitchen falls into silence as Melissa cooks them breakfast. The occasional slurp of Stiles drinking his coffee and Melissa dropping batter onto the griddle are the only sounds. The room fills quickly with the sweet smell of banana and chocolate, under laid with the scents of coffee and Dawn dishwashing liquid. As weird as it may sound, Stiles loves the combination and thinks of it as a symbol of home and safety. His childhood home, where he’d lived with his dad, had always smelled like coffee and Dawn too now that he thinks about it. He wonders what the kitchen at Derek’s place looks like. Probably huge and modern with appliances he’ll never get the chance to use with some French man named Jean or Jacque who cooks four course gourmet meals with names he’s never heard of.

According to the file on Derek (which he’s read three times now) the Alpha still lives with his mother and father. He has seen the sprawling mansion set back into the Wildlife Preserve exactly once that he can remember, when he and Scott and Allison had snuck onto the property in search of something called The Nemeton. Supposedly back in the day druids had performed rituals there. Something had happened and driven all of them away and the tree was cut down but the stump still remained. The kids in school had said that if you touched The Nemeton it would reveal to you the future. Stiles hadn’t put much stalk in all that but Scott and Allison had seemed really excited about it so he’d agreed to go with them just to make sure nothing happened. To say that trip had ended badly would be the understatement of the century. You know, considering his two best friends died and all.

“Stiles?” Melissa calls to him as she brings the pancakes over to the table. He jerks his head up and gives her a smile.

“Sorry, did you say something?”

“No, I just…you’re being so quite. Usually you’re much more talkative.”

“Oh, yeah, I…I just can’t think of anything to say. That’s a first, huh?” The older woman smiles fondly at him as she reaches out and runs her fingers over his dark hair.

“I don’t think in the eighteen years I have known you that you’ve ever not had something to say about something. No matter how obscure or inappropriate.” Melissa chuckles when Stiles makes a face.

“I don’t mean to be inappropriate. It’s just that sometimes I say things before I think about them.” His heart kicks hard in his chest. “I guess that’s something I’ll have to work on since I’m going to be marrying a rich, politically inclined werewolf.” His stomach cramps as if its tied into a knot and as he looks down at the stack of pancakes on his plate, watches as the maple syrup drips slowly down the sides, it hits him that in a week according to the terms of the contract he’s going to be _married_ to _Derek Hale_.

He thinks about his mom and dad, remembers the few good years he had with them and watching them as they had loved each other. Even at the age of eight when girls had cooties and he was much more interested in reptiles and superheroes than falling in love Stiles had always known he wanted a love like his parents had. No one ever doubted that when Sheriff John Stilinski looked at his wife Claudia that he loved her with all his heart. It was something Stiles had always wanted for himself but now…well, now he had to think about his future. Maybe if he’s really lucky one day Derek will grow too actually _like_ him. He doesn’t think there’s enough luck in the world to make the Alpha actually love him.

“Everything is going to be okay sweetheart.” Melissa’s calm, soothing voice brings him back from his memories and he looked across the little table at her. She’s smiling and reaches out to give his hand a squeeze where it rests on the table top. “Eat your breakfast before it gets cold.”

Stiles does as he’s told.

When they finish with breakfast Stiles helps Melissa clean the kitchen. They are silent as they put away the leftovers and wash the dishes. Chore complete the teenager takes a look around the space and feels tears welling up in his eyes. God, he hopes Derek will let him visit Melissa sometimes.

“Why don’t you go shower and change and I’ll make a pot of hot chocolate for you? I know its April but I think it’ll help with your nerves.” The tears he’s been holding back start to fall as he crosses the short space that separates them and wraps his arms around Melissa.

“Thanks mom,” he whispers as he hugs her tight to his chest and sobs.

“I love you Stiles,” she responds and the tears come harder. Eventually he will let her go and go take that shower but just not right now. Right now he needs this, needs to feel connected to family and home and safety. Right now he needs to pretend for just a second that his whole world isn’t about to change.

At eleven fifty-nine Stiles is pacing in front of the living room window watching as the same black limo from early in the week pulls up to the curb in front of the house. Derek slides out of the back of the car first, not even waiting for the chauffeur to open the door, and turns around to reach back inside to help Laura out. The teenager swallows thickly as he watches the brother and sister walk up the little path and onto the porch. He heads for the door and pulls it open before either of them can have a chance to knock.

“Stiles! Always a pleasure to see you, darling.” Laura exclaims with a smile and leans forward to press a kiss to his cheek. He turns his head quickly to brush his lips against her sooth skin as well but his focus is mostly on Derek. Dear Lord is it possible that he got better looking in the space of three days? He’s forgone the suit today and is dressed casually in a pair of tan kakis and a white polo that stretches across his shoulders and hugs his biceps beautifully. His intense eyes are focused solely on Stiles and the corners of his mouth are turned up slightly in a smirk.

“Hello,” the wolf says as he steps over the threshold of the house and leans forward to brush his lips against Stiles’ cheek much in the same way Laura had. There is a big difference though between being kissed on the cheek by his future sister-in-law and his fiancée. Stiles’ eyes flutter shut for half a second when Derek’s lips press against his skin and his mouth drops open slightly to draw breath. It’s like someone had turned up the heat in the room and laid an electrical current to his blood. The Alpha’s lips are warm and soft and just a little wet. He turns his head and their standing almost nose-to-nose, sharing the same breath and Derek’s eyes are red and his teeth are out and while it should scare the shit out of him Stiles feels his heart pounding and his dick hardening in his jeans.

“Hi,” he whispers after a moment and makes no move to back away from the Alpha. He wonders how it’s going to be when he actually gets to kiss the older man, like on the mouth. He drops his eyes to Derek’s lips and watches as they move and form a smile that show’s off his fangs. The younger man’s gut gives a painful squeeze and the butterflies from earlier in the week are back to suffocate him in their escape attempt.

“How are you?” Derek whispers as he leans closer and presses his cheek against Stiles. _Whoa_ , his stubble is scratchy but he likes how it feels rubbing over his skin.

“I…I’m okay.” Stiles stammers as he reaches up and grabs a handful of Derek’s shirt to try and steady himself. He’s knees are wobbling and he feels like maybe the floor is moving under his feet. The world seems to be tipping back and forth in an attempt to throw him off balance and its working.

“Have you thought about my proposal?” The words are breathed into his ear and he takes a deep breath which is a horrible idea because Derek is putting off this wonderful scent that goes straight to his head. At least he assumes its Derek because he certainly hasn’t smelled anything like this in the house before. It’s a spicy scent, deep and woodsy. Kind of like wood smoke and nutmeg with just a little bit of fresh pine underlying it.

“Yes,” Stiles says as he tilts his head back and looks up at the Alpha. Derek’s arm reaches out and wraps around his waist, pulling him close and he tries not to faint at the feel of the bigger man’s body pressing into his because damn it, the man is built for sex and stamina and he feel so perfect pressing into him its making him a little desperate to rip off his clothes and present himself to be fucked right there in the front hall.

“And?” The teenager pauses and for a moment reconsiders his options. He could still say no but then he sees a desperate look pass over Derek’s features almost like…like he _wants_ him to say yes.

“I accept. I’ll marry you.” The words tumble from his lips much easier than he had expected and without the finesse he had practiced in the mirror this morning after his shower.

“Good,” the smile that he gets from the older man is one hundred percent pure predator and Stiles’ heart skips a beat.

_‘What have I gotten myself into?’_ He wonders when Laura’s face appears over Derek’s shoulder.

“Welcome to the pack Stiles.” She says with a wide smile and a pat on her brother’s back. The Alpha doesn’t even acknowledge her but she doesn’t seem to care.


	4. ..Examine Your Insides..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG! You guys I'm not worthy of your love. Here have chapter four as a sign of my undying love for you.

To say that he was happy that Stiles has accepted his offer would be a vast understatement. Derek had sat beside Stiles at the kitchen table as they sign the mating contract smiling like an idiot. Laura had kept looking at him as if she didn’t recognize him. They had stayed a little while, allowing Stiles time to adjust to the fact that he was leaving Melissa’s home to move in with Derek and his family. The Alpha had assured Melissa that he would make sure the younger man could come and visit her whenever he liked and he had seen the way some of the tension had bleed from the woman’s shoulders. Derek had also informed her that she would be a welcomed guest at the wedding if she wanted to attend and that had earned him a smile from both the older woman and Stiles.

When it was time to leave he had directed their driver Joey to go get Stiles’ things from upstairs and now the siblings were waiting outside while Stiles said his goodbyes to Melissa.

“You know you’re giving off the bonding scent right?” Laura informs him as Stiles comes out of the house and Derek feels his heart leaping into his throat. He’s wearing a red pullover and a pair of light washed jeans and he has never looked more delicious than right now. Okay, well maybe three days ago when he was wearing his PJ’s and had obviously just rolled out of bed.

“So?” He responds as he gets out of the car to wait for his fiancée. Good God, it feels so good to say that, to know that in a week he and Stiles will be married and then he gets to keep him forever. He wonders briefly if the younger man will want his own rooms or if he’ll agree to stay with Derek in his for the week. Maybe they could redo the loft apartment in the city that Derek bought back when he was in college and move there. He loves his family, really, but the thought of having Stiles all to himself at the end of every day is enough to have his eyes flashing red again and his dick pressing against his zipper. He has been hard and nearly out of his mind with want for his mate since this morning in the foyer when they had been pressed against each other. It had been an unintentional move on his part and the wolf had broken through him.

“Ready to go?” He asks when the teenager reaches him. He nods solemnly and looks over his shoulder to where Melissa is standing on the porch wringing her hands together as Joey brings out the last box from Stiles’ bedroom. The younger man’s scent goes wonky and there is the bitter smell of burning rubber replacing the usual sweet sugary smoke. Derek recognizes the scent as sadness and reaches out to put his hand on his mate’s shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. Stiles doesn’t pull away which he takes a good sign.

“You can come back and see her tomorrow if you would like. I’ll arrange for Joey to take you whenever you want.” At that moment he’d have promised Stiles the moon if it would have made the bitter smell go away.

“Really? You’d…you’d be okay with that? So soon?” The younger man sounds surprised and suddenly the Alpha is hit with a realization. Stiles and Melissa had thought he was going to refuse to let the boy see the only family he has left in the world! He tries not to be hurt by it but the wolf goes just a little crazy at the distrust his mate is placing on him and he has to take a moment to get his control back.

“Yes, I already told you I won’t keep you from visiting. If you want to visit Melissa everyday its fine, if you want her to come to Hale House and visit you there it’s fine. I’ll make sure that the guards know and we’ll get her a pass code for the gate first thing tomorrow.” Stiles’ entire face lights up at that and his smile stretches so wide that Derek knows his cheeks must hurt.

“Oh my God! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” He screams as he turns around and throws himself into Derek’s arm, pressing a kiss to his cheek. The Alpha preens at having made his mate so happy. His scent is back and it wraps around him as he nuzzles his face into the crook of the pale neck that is unintentionally bared to him and he can’t wait to put his mark there.

“You’re welcome,” he says as he puts Stiles back down onto his feet and motions to the car. The human slides inside smiling and offers a cheerful greeting to Laura.

As Derek climbs in behind him he notices that his sister is on the phone, she looks serious like maybe it’s a business call but the second she notices him she starts smiling again.

“Sure…yes, I promise…okay, geez Cora I’ll tell him. I’ve got to go. Bye.” As his older sister pushes the end button on her screen she looks at him. “That was Cora, obviously. She wants me to tell you that mom and dad are in the kitchen making a celebratory lunch and that Peter is on his way to the house.” Derek groans and curses as he settles himself beside Stiles. He crosses his arms over his chest and glares at Laura.

“Damn it, why is Peter coming?” He doesn’t whine and he doesn’t pout. He’s an Alpha and Alpha’s don’t whine or pout. But Laura gives him that look that says she thinks he is, it’s a look she’s been giving him since he was three and following her around like a little puppy just wanting to be included in her ‘grown up’ activities. He wonders if his mother is going to pull out the photo albums when they get to Hale House and show Stiles the numerous shots of him playing dress up with his sister or maybe the countless number of tea parties that he helped put on as a child. Dear Lord, he sincerely hopes not because he won’t be responsible for his actions if that happens.

“Um, because he’s our mother’s brother and happy that his only nephew is getting mated?” She tells him as if it should be reason enough. It’s not, at least not for him. He and Peter have reached an uneasy stalemate in the years since Derek presented as an Alpha. Though he doesn’t trust his uncle he doesn’t necessarily believe he’s a bad person. However, the wolf doesn’t trust him around his mate and he knows that may end up becoming an issue later on if Peter can’t respect Stiles and boundaries.

“More like he’s curious and coming over to snoop for Aunt Virgie.” He shots back with a sigh and relaxes against the seat.

“Well, yeah, that to.” Laura concedes as she settles back against the smooth leather of the limo seats. He looks down at Stiles who seems to have suddenly become very pale.

“Don’t worry though. Peter’s harmless.” He lies in an attempt to reassure Stiles. He reaches out to lay a hand on the younger man’s arm and is pleasantly surprised when Stiles reaches up and moves it so that he can twine their fingers together. He sees Laura gapping at him out of the corner of his eye and clamps his lips closed to keep from groaning.

“Oh, God, don’t lie to him! You should probably stick close to Derek when Peter’s around. He doesn’t really understand boundaries and he’s, well, kind of a psychopath.” Stiles makes a sound like he’s being strangled and Derek turns to flash his eyes at his sister in warning.

“Laura, shut up. You’re scaring him.” He growls and has to stop himself from using his Alpha voice to force her into submission. He had made a promise to his sister long ago that he would never do that to her and to date he’s never really wanted to. Right now, however, it’s a very close call.

“No, I’m preparing him. You might think that somewhere inside of Peter there is a good person but let’s not forget that he tried to _kill_ you when you presented as an Alpha.” Stiles gives a surprised squeak at that piece of information and turns to look up at Derek, amber eyes wide and terrified. He continues to glare at Laura who just smiles back at him sweetly.

“That was…that wasn’t how it happened I swear.” He tells the younger man who shifts closer to him as he and Laura argue back and forth. Derek tries to think of some kind of excuse but he figures the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth is probably the best option on this topic because if Stiles asks his family then they’ll tell him everything. “When I presented I was older than most and we were all very sure I’d present as a Beta. When I didn’t Peter issued a challenge, as was his right as next in line to take over the pack, and I beat him.” Stiles starts to relax against his side at the reassurance and the Alpha lets go of his hand to wrap his arm around his mate. The feeling of the smaller man against his side is nearly enough to have him purring in pleasure. As it is the wolf howls inside of him, claws at his skin when the teenager drops his head to the side to lean his face against his shoulder and a long line of his neck is exposed. He can’t keep his hand from rising up and rubbing his knuckles against the long lines of tendons and muscles there. He enjoys the way the pulse beats steady under his fingers and it’s a beautiful feeling of contentment to feel the younger man curled into him.

“Barely! And you spent three days in the ICU if I remember correctly.” Laura bustles as she crosses her arms and legs.

“True, but he was there for a week.” Derek responds with a grin, showing off his perfect white teeth and flashing his red eyes at his sister.

“Aren’t you an Alpha, Laura?” Stiles asks suddenly and the two turn to stare at him. Though he knows that his fiancée doesn’t know much about werewolves he thought perhaps he would know enough to know that asking a werewolf about their rank is considered rude. Luckily Laura isn’t any ordinary wolf and she just smiles at him fondly.

“God, no! I’m a Beta, my husband Jackson is an Alpha. Well, and our sister Cora and our Uncle Peter. You can tell a wolf’s rank by eye color. Red is Alpha, yellow is Beta, and silver is Omega.” She tells him matter-of-factly. Derek would also have added that a wolf’s behavior can give them away. Alphas tend to be much more assertive and attack without provocation while Betas are more likely to ask questions and size up a situation before making a move. He has never met an Omega so he can’t honestly say what they are like but he has heard they’re very submissive and tend to run interference between members of a pack. They’re also very rare and if a pack can find and keep one they will become stronger.

“Isn’t there blue as well?” The brother and sister share a look and he watches as Laura shifts uncomfortably in her seat.

“Yes, but if you see a wolf with blue you should definitely stay away from them. Blue eyes means they’ve killed an innocent.” Laura tells him gently.

“Oh, wow,” Stiles says and moves closer to Derek.

“Don’t worry too much about it. We don’t keep company with those sorts of wolves. The only one you have to worry about is Peter.” The Alpha tells him and shifts uncomfortably when his sisters’ turns her eyes to him. His sister who knows that that wasn’t always true but has been sworn to secrecy on the matter until Derek can find a way to tell Stiles about the one wolf he broke the rule for.

“And Aunt Virgie but she lives in Denver and doesn’t come around much.” Laura says at length as she continues to stare at them. Stiles is resting his head against his shoulder again, seeming completely relaxed, and he has his arm wrapped tightly around his slender shoulders. He doesn’t say a word but he can see the wheels in her mind turning. The bonding scent has been gradually getting stronger the closer that Stiles gets to him and his sister is smart enough to figure out what’s going on if she really tries. Dear Lord he prays she doesn’t.

“Well, that’s good to know.” The teenager mumbles as he turns his head to look out the window. They’ve just crossed the border into the Wildlife Preserve. The trees are thick here and the ground covered in grass and moss on either side of the paved road leading through the Preserve to the Hale property. Derek loves the full moon when he shifts into his wolf and gets the freedom to run the woods as far and fast as he can. He wonders if Stiles will want The Bite and imagines what it would be like to run with his mate and hunt together and find a little alcove just for the two of them to spend the night in. The bonding scent kicks up a notch.

“Besides, you have the One Wolf by your side. Anyone touches you and Derek will rip them apart.” Thank God for his sister and her ability to seamlessly change the subject and distract him at the same time.

“One Wolf?” Stiles asks as if he is unfamiliar with the term.

“It’s what the leader of a wolf pack is called. Right now my mom’s the One Wolf but when she steps down it’ll be me.” Derek tells him as he lets his eyes wonder over Stiles features until they land on those amber colored eyes looking up at him. He wonders if he’d be a Beta or maybe one of the rare Omegas. It would really suck for Derek if he took The Bite and presented as an Alpha. He’d make it work because he doesn’t want to imagine a life without the teenager in it but he’d be damn disappointed.

“Oh,” Stiles says quietly as he looks off to the side.

After that the three passengers fall into silence. Laura pulls out her phone and stares intently at the screen while attempting to covertly steal glances at the two people across from her. Derek can tell she’s curious about the physical closeness that he is permitting the human but she doesn’t ask, mostly because he’s the Alpha and partly because she’s a wonderful sister and will wait for him to come to her to explain. Derek just continues to hold onto Stiles and watch as the boy stares out the window, watching the forest as they pass through it. He does occasionally reach up and run his knuckles along the line of his mate’s neck but he doesn’t speak. Stiles doesn’t seem to mind the touching at all. He leans into them when they come and seems to be more relaxed than the Alpha has seen him yet.

When they pull into the driveway of Hale House the wolf is practically vibrating with excitement. He can’t wait to show Stiles off to his pack. He is proud to have found his mate and wants his family to see how well he’s done.

“Holy shit. It’s even bigger than I remember.” The younger man says under his breath probably hoping its low enough that neither of his werewolf companions hears. It isn’t and Laura frowns but when she opens her mouth to question him Derek shakes his head at her and makes a cutting motion with his hand. She quirks an eyebrow.

_‘I’ll explain later,’_ he mouths to her.

_‘Yes, you will,’_ she responds before turning to Stiles and gesturing to the wide expanse of the mansion.

“Welcome to Hale House, Stiles.”


	5. ..Meet The Hale's..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am unworthy, so very unworthy! You guys are seriously the best. I love each and every one of you with all my heart. Thank you for taking this journey with me.

“Would you like some more chicken Stiles?” Talia Hale asks from where she’s sitting to his left. Derek is directly beside her on his left and Derek’s little sister Cora is to Stiles’ right. Laura and Peter are on the opposite side of the table, while Derek’s father Mark sits at the end across from Talia. To say that Stiles feels a little like a rabbit who wondered into the wolf’s den would be an understatement.

“No, no, thank you ma’am.” He says politely and smiles a little at her. Lunch was a feast of spicy fried chicken (a secret family recipe according to Talia) with all the trimmings including, much to Stiles’ delight, crispy curly fries. So far he has had at least two helpings of everything on the table. Not because he was particularly hungry but because the wolves kept piling food onto his plate and it would have been rude for him to not eat it. But he’s so full right now that he’s uncomfortable and if he takes another bite he’s pretty sure he’s going to explode.

“Please, call me Talia.” She smiles at him fondly. The One Wolf has been nothing but nice to him since he walked into her door, greeting him like a long lost friend. It goes a long way in soothing his nerves and calming his fears of her not liking him on the spot. He had been terrified that the woman would hate him. It would have really sucked if his future mother-in-law hadn’t liked him.

“So, Stiles, are you planning to continue your education? I know that Derek has made allowance for it if you want to.” Mark asks suddenly and draws the tables’ attention down to him. Stiles swallows and nods. Out of all the wolves at the table he’s probably most intimidated by Derek’s father and he isn’t even a wolf! He seems nice enough but his size is what puts Stiles on edge. The man is _huge_! And he doesn’t mean his waist size. He’s pretty sure the older man is well over seven foot tall and he’s built like a linebacker for one of those really good pro football teams. Derek had told him earlier that his dad used to play rugby in high school and college. Stiles could see him being very good at organized sports.

“Um, yeah, I’ve thought about it.” He says and quickly averts his eyes. Derek must sense his distress and drops his hand down to grip his knee under the table and offers him a small smile of encouragement. It goes a long way in helping him relax.

“What would you like to study?” This comes from Peter who upon showing up and being introduced to Stiles has been staring at him when he thinks no one is looking. It’s creepy and disconcerting because unlike when his fiancée stares at him the man makes him feel like he’d going to jump across the table and attack him.

“Probably English or Political Science. Those were my two favorite courses in high school. I would eventually like to go to law school.” He gets an approving grunt from Mark.

“Laura has a degree in Political Science and History and Cora is _supposed_ to be working on her masters in English Literature. I’m sure either of them would be glad to offer you advice or help you pick out a program if you need it.” The girls nod enthusiastically in affirmation at their father’s suggestion.

“Thank you, I appreciate that. Derek told me he’s already looked into some online programs…” He begins but is cut off quickly by Cora who stares at her brother in confusion.

“Online? Why would you do an online program?” She questions as she picks up her glass of iced tea and sips it. Stiles is kind of fascinated by Cora. Everything she does looks so graceful and deliberate. The only other person he has ever seen move like that is Lydia Martin, the girl he was convinced was the love of his life for like ten years until she meet and mated an Alpha named Aiden from the East Pack.

“Because I don’t want him to be away from me for that long.” Derek growls at his sister as he reaches out for another piece of chicken from the plate in the center of the table. Stiles looked back and forth between the two of them as the two seem to look up and catch each other’s gaze. Something passes between them, like a challenge of some sort and the tension in the room rises.

“But that doesn’t…”

“Cora, shut up and eat your potato salad. You’re too skinny.” Mark interrupts her with a pointed look and Stiles can’t help but smirk as she growls and shovels a heaping forkful of salad into her mouth.

“So, Stiles, we’ve all read your file so we know a lot about you. Is there anything you’d like to know about our family?” Talia asks in an attempt to change the subject. Everyone seems to relax, except for Derek who continues to glare down the table at his younger sister.

“Um, not that I can think of at the moment ma…Talia.” He says as he reaches down under the table and laces his fingers through Derek’s where they rest on his knee. The stiff line of the wolf’s shoulder relax and he watched fascinated as the older man’s entire body goes slack in the chair and he looked over at Stiles with a smile. He’s curious about his affect on the man but he doesn’t think now is the right time to ask about it.

“Well, if there is anything you’d like to know then just ask. We’re pretty much an open book around here.”

The table lapses into silence after that and Stiles begins to fidget and feel uncomfortable. Peter is sneaking glances at him more often now and the way he’s eyeing his throat makes Stiles feel like he’s sizing him up to maybe rip it out. Cora is glaring at Derek like she might be considering tearing chunks out of him and Mark is looking as uncomfortable as Stiles feels while observing the family members at the table.

“You know what…I would like to know about Derek.” He says suddenly just to break up some of the tension. The Alpha turns his head and frowns at him.

“I gave you the file on me. Didn’t you read it?” He sounds confused and disappointed, almost like Stiles has let him down.

“Of course I read it, three times actually. But I was thinking more along the lines of stuff that wasn’t in the file. You know like funny stories from when you were a kid, the first time your parents caught you sneaking liquor from the cabinet, first girlfriend and boyfriend, that kind of stuff.” He is insanely curious about Derek’s life beyond what was in the file. He knows all about Derek’s public image but has wondered on more than one occasion over the last few days what the man is like with his family. The family looks first at Stiles then at Derek who growls and shakes his head.

“No, you are not allowed to…” He starts but Laura is quick to cut him off.

“I got one!” His older sister yells from across the table. “There was this one time when Derek was like seven and I had convinced him that if he got a cape and climbed up into the barn loft he could fly if he flapped his arms hard enough. He tore the drapes from the living room window and ran all the way out there as fast as he could go. I followed of course and when he jumped the look on his face was priceless. He flapped his arms as hard as he could and for about a second he actually believed he could do it and then gravity kicked in and he just looked at me and dropped like a stone.” Cora bursts out laughing and Peter lets out a huff that Stiles assumes must be his version of laughter. Stiles looks over to see the rather pissed off look Derek is throwing his sister and pulls his bottom lip between his teeth to hold in the chuckle that threatens to escape because as horribly evil as he might find the act itself he has to admit it is kind of genius.

“Yes, and I broke my arm in three places and punctured a lung. If I hadn’t been a werewolf it would have killed me.” All laughter dries up when the Alpha growls those words in response to the story and Stiles looks wide eyed across the table at Laura. A little stab of fear laces through his heart and he has to really focus to keep from saying something unflattering to the Beta.

“But you _are_ a wolf so no harm done.” Laura reasons as she picks up her glass of lemonade and sips it with a smile.

“Except as I recall you told me that Derek had come up with that idea all by himself.” Talia interrupts the siblings and the table’s attention turns from Laura and Derek to the One Wolf. Boy, if looks could kill Laura would be on the floor and belly up. The Alpha looks at her daughter like she is disappointed in her but also like she might be about to reprimand her for the seventeen year lie.

“Oh…I did, didn’t I?” The other woman blushes and looks down the table at her father for help. He just shakes his head and turns his attention down to the plate of food in front of him and then asks Stiles to pass the pasta salad. He promptly picks up the bowl and hands it over.

“Yes, you did.” Talia says and flashes her wolf eyes at Laura. The tension kicks up as the group waits for the One Wolf to speak again. She doesn’t get the chance, however.

“I don’t ever remember Derek sneaking alcohol from the liquor cabinet but I do remember him sneaking his first boyfriend into the house one night.” Peter says drawing everyone’s attention. Laura looks at him like he’s the greatest hero in the history of the world. “Matthew, I believe his name was. Nice boy as I recall, a Beta from the Southern Pack. He was probably fourteen at the time. They didn’t know that I was in the sitting room reading when he came tiptoeing down the stairs and let the boy in. He was quite enamored with the young man and they spent over an hour kissing and whispering sweet nothings to each other. Eventually I couldn’t stand it anymore and broke up the party. I thought he was going to drop dead of a heart attack when I came out of the room. Oh and then there was Kate…” If Stiles thought the tension at the table had been bad before it was nothing compared to what happens when Peter says the woman’s name.

He watches as Talia’s eyes turn red and her lips peel back to reveal lengthening teeth. Cora’s hands, which had been reaching for her iced tea, turn to claws and she glares over at Peter. Laura looks pissed off and also just a little frightened as she eyes her mother and sister. Mark nearly chocks on a forkful of pasta salad. Stiles feels a shift in Derek as well and turns to find his fiancée has shifted to his half wolf, half human form and is growling at his uncle. Stiles quickly pulls himself as far away from the wolf-man as he possibly can without running from the table. He knows from experience that running from Alpha’s is a bad choice, even when you’re not the target of their rage.

“Who Stiles doesn’t need to know about,” Derek spits as he slowly gets up from his chair. The rest of the table seems to calm down when they realize that Peter isn’t going to continue on with the story about Kate. The wolves’ faces and hands return to human and Mark has dislodged the offending pasta salad from his windpipe. That only leaves Derek who hasn’t even attempted to switch back to full human.

“I really don’t,” Stiles squeaks in agreement in an attempt to placate the wolf beside him even though a part of him is burning up with curiosity at the horrifying display of aggression at the mere mention of the woman’s name. Whoever she had been to Derek it must have ended badly, _very_ badly.

“No, Peter, Derek is right. That is a story for another time. It’s hardly a story to be told over his engagement lunch.” Talia says in a stern voice and with a look that plainly says she and Peter will be discussing his little slip later, in private, preferably with lots of blood and pain. Her brother just grins at her and nods his head.

“Fair enough, Talia.”

“I think that’s enough stories for now. Why don’t you go upstairs and settle in Stiles?” Mark suggests and Stiles might possibly kiss him because he has just offered him a way out of this tension filled room. He officially has his one hundred percent loyalty and favor.

“I had Marilee make up one of the guest room for you Stiles or if you’d rather stay with Derek that’s perfectly fine. The decision is yours of course.” Talia offers as they all get up and filter out of the dining room and into the hallway that leads to the stairs. Peter heads straight for the sitting room while Laura and Cora call out goodbyes as they head toward the door. Stiles looks up at Derek and finds his face completely blank of any emotion but at least it’s human again.

“Oh, um, what would you like me to do?” He asks the Alpha because…well, because he’d like to stay with Derek, purely because he feels comfortable around the older man but also because Derek had told him when they were discussing the contract that he would demand deference to him in all decisions. He assumes this would be one of those times.

“It’s not up to me. It’s your choice. I’ll honor whatever decision you make.” _But I’d like you to stay with me_. The words aren’t spoken but Stiles hears them in his silent stare. He smiles at the Alpha and nods.

“Well, if you’d be okay with it then I’d like to…stay with you I think.” He drops his gaze down to the floor because he doesn’t want Derek to see how affected he is by the thought of sharing a space with the werewolf. Of course he will know anyway because, _hello werewolf sense of smell_.

“I would like that very much.” Derek says and Stiles jerks his head up to look at him because his voice sounds different, husky and deep and he sees the red of his eyes and the lengthening of his teeth and the way he’s body seems to grow just a little bigger and the muscles flex under the skin of his shoulders.

_Fucking, fuck, fuckety, fuck!_ Stiles thinks as Talia and Mark quickly excuse themselves from the foyer and disappear into the sitting room where Peter had gone earlier. He stares up at the wolf and feels his body begin to respond to the sight. But before he can decide what to do with his new found kink of Derek’s wolf it’s gone and in its place is just Derek again. Not that that isn’t enough to heat his blood anyway.

“Come on,” Derek growls and jerks his chin toward there stairs leading to the upper floors. Stiles watches as he starts up the stairs, taking a moment to just enjoy the view before hurrying after the Alpha.


	6. ..The Seduction of G. Stilinski...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are seriously giving me a complex. Here have some sexy times as my sincerest thanks.

Derek is pretty sure he is going to go out of his mind. The whole room smells like a combination of Stiles and him and the bonding scent and his wolf is about to hit the roof. From his vantage point at the desk under the window in the sitting room, where he is pretending to read over some of the new proposals that are before the Were Council, he can look through the bedroom door and see Stiles coming out of the closet with a handful of clothes hangers clinched in his fist. He stops at the bed and starts to pull clothes from a box and slid them onto hangers. When the teenager drops a t-shirt on the floor and bends over to pick it up the denim of his blue jeans stretches tight across his ass and Derek ends up breaking the pen he’s clinching in his hand.

“Fuck,” he mutters and drops the ruined writing utensil into the trash can beside the desk. He looks down at his ink stained skin and the spittle than made it onto his polo and heaves a sigh.

“Are you okay?” Stiles calls from the other room and Derek looks up. For a minute he forgets that he’s covered in ink; that his wolf is biting at the bit to get at the younger man. For a moment he just gets lost in the clear amber eyes of his true mate and he can’t help the smile that spreads across his face because damn, he’s wolf did really well finding the mate.

“Yeah, I just, um, just had a pen bust is all.” He tells his fiancée as he stands up and heads toward the bedroom. The teenager backs up and allows him through the door and he goes into the bathroom and washes his hands, removing as much of the ink as possible and trying not to think about what it would be like to go outside and beg Stiles to strip for him because that’s how he’s feeling right now. The wolf is clawing at him and demanding to not be ignored any longer. The sound of Stiles talking to him from the bedroom as he works doesn’t help the Alpha’s control in the slightest because now he wonders what the voice would sound like while shouting his name in pleasure.

_Pull it together, Hale!_

“I hate it when that happens. I used to have a really bad habit of chewing on my pens in high school and then sticking them into the back pocket of my jeans and they’d always bust.” The younger man supplies as he continues his task of hanging up his clothes. Derek comes out of the bathroom and pulls his polo over his head. He shucks it into the laundry basket in the corner of his room. He walks across the room as Stiles dunks into the closet, loaded down with an arm full of clothes and completely ignoring his presence. As he bends to retrieve a shirt from the bottom drawer he is slammed with the amazing scent of sugar and honey and wood smoke. Only this time it’s cranked up about a hundred times and has the underlying scent of pure sex.

He stands quickly and glances over his shoulder to find Stiles standing at the foot of the bed with more hangers dangling from his hand. He doesn’t seem to be concerned with them though but instead his focus is entirely on Derek’s body. His beautiful eyes trace the lines and muscles of the Alpha’s back; his mouth hangs open and chest heaving. The wolf can hear the stuttering difference in his heartbeat as he stares at the exposed skin of his back. He sees his eyes land on the bold black triskelion inked into the skin between his shoulders blades. Derek doesn’t stop the pleased purr that emits from his throat as the wolf rises up and threatens to overstake the human part of him. Stiles eyes snap up to meet his at the sound. His pupils are blown wide and his cheeks are flushed the most adorable shade of pink and Derek wonders how far down that blush goes.

“I…I…I…” The younger man stammers as Derek turns around and slowly moves across the room to stand in front of him. The t-shirt he had gotten from the drawer drops out of his hand as he closes in on the boy and he stands close, so close he can feel the heat coming off of Stiles’ body and feel his breath fanning against his bare shoulder.

“Does my body please you, mate?” He asks as he reaches up and lets the backs of his fingers brush against the smooth skin of the smaller boy’s cheek. The Alpha’s voice sounds deep and like he’s been gurgling gravels, it’s the wolf and he feels the muscles and bones in his arms start to shift. He clamps down hard on his control and prays for more restraint. Stiles’ eyes flutter shut for just a moment and then are snapping back open when Derek leans forward and buries his face against the spot where his shoulder meets his neck. He inhales deeply that sweet scent that is distinctly Stiles and then lets his rough beard scrap against the delicate flesh, loving the way the pale skin turns pink instantly. He hears the sound of the hangers hitting the floor and lets out a little chuckle.

“Well, I…it’s…I mean…” Stiles stammers again when he pulls back and looks up into his eyes. The Alpha smirks as he reaches out and pulls the boy to him, wrapping his right arm around his waist to pull him in while letting his left hand come up and smooth over the shaggy dark hair of his mate. The strains are silky as they pass under his fingers.

“Answer my question, Stiles. Does my body please you?” He whispers low into his ear as he leans forward to take the lobe between his teeth and nip it. Stiles hisses at the little bite but Derek is quickly there to soothe away the sting with his lips and tongue. The teenager’s hips arch against him and press his confined erection against Derek’s hip. The wolf howls inside him demanding to be let free, demanding to be allowed to claim his mate.

“Well, duh, I mean look at you.” Stiles says as the wolf leans down and nips at the line of his jaw. He purrs again at the affirmative that Stiles finds him attractive.

“That pleases me, that pleases me greatly.” He responses as he stands tall and reaches down to pull the hoodie and t-shirt that Stiles is wearing up and over his head before the younger man even has time to process what is going on. He doesn’t seem to mind, however, and raises his arms to aide in his disrobing. “I shouldn’t touch you until after we’re married but I can’t seem to help myself.” He admits as he steps back from the boy and looks down at his exposed flesh. All pale skin dotted with freckles and moles, a lean waist with just the slightest amount of definition in the abs, and a tantalizing trail of dark hair leading down from just under his belly button into the top of his jeans. If he had to choose one word to describe Stiles at this moment it would simply be _perfect_.

Stiles doesn’t say anything in response to that, he just stares openly and pants for breath.

“Tell me, Stiles. Do you have any experience with men?” He asks even though he already knows the answer. But he wants to hear Stiles say it, wants the verbal confirmation that he hasn’t been with anyone, ever. The wolf demands to be told he’s the first.

“No, I mean, not like _sex_ experience. I’ve kissed people before but I’ve never…I’ve never had sex with anyone before.” Stiles tells him and drops his chin to his chest. The Alpha doesn’t like the loss of eye contact with his mate. Reaching out he puts two fingers under his chin and pulls his face back up to level their gazes.

“That’s nothing to be ashamed of.” He says fondly when he sees the pained look on his mate’s face. The wolf whines as it reaches out for Stiles.

“I know that. It’s just that…I figure you’ve probably got a list of ex-lovers who knew what they were doing and how to please you. I don’t know the first thing about how to please a human much less an Alpha werewolf.” Derek is floored by the admission. He had not been expecting Stiles to be concerned about his pleasure. Most humans aren’t. Part of the appeal of sex with a werewolf, especially an Alpha, is their need for dominance and control. He should have known Stiles would be concerned with making it good for him too. He grins as he reaches out and wraps his arms tightly around the human boy rubbing his cheek against the crown of his head.

“I have only had three lovers. One female, a human, and two males, both Betas. Not that it matters because none of them please me as much as you do.” He tells Stiles and feels the boy stiffen against him.

“But…but I haven’t done anything.” He mutters as he pulls back and looks up at the Alpha with wide eyes full of disbelief.

“You don’t have to. I’m pleased just with your presence Stiles. I enjoy the way I feel when I’m around you. I know it’s strange since we’ve only been around each other for a few hours but my wolf loves your scent, your voice, the sound of your heartbeat. My human side likes the way you look and your openness. I _enjoy_ you.” And okay, so it’s not a declaration of undying love but its close and the Alpha can’t believe he’s being so mushy but this human makes him vomit rainbows and recite poetry and all the lovey-dovey crap that he’s been so careful not to do since…well, since a really long time.

“Wow, that’s…that’s honestly a lot more than I was expecting. I mean, look at you, dude. You could have anyone and you choose me. I was hoping you’d come to maybe _like_ me at some point but that, well, that’s just _wow_.” Stiles admits as he pulls completely away from Derek and bites his lip while looking down at the floor.

“I already like you, pup.” He tells the teenager as he reaches out and pulls his face back up to look at him. The younger man’s eyebrows pull together at the pet name.

“Pup?” He asks as he takes a cautious step forward.

“It’s a pet name some wolves use for someone they are fond of. If you don’t like it…”

“No, it’s not that, it’s just different is all. I…um, I think I like it.”

“Well, _pup_ , I think I know something else you’ll like even more.” Derek says with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows and pulls Stiles into him by hooking his fingers through his belt loops. He purrs at the contact of their naked skin and the friction of their erections rubbing together. _Damn, damn, damn!_

“Really? What?” Stiles asks with a raise of his eyebrow.

“Lay down on the bed, face up, arms above your head and don’t move them unless I tell you too.” Derek orders with a growl and Stiles hesitates for just a fraction of a second before doing as requested.

He lies back against the bedspread and reaches up to wrap his long fingers around the rungs of the iron headboard. His breathing is quick and unsteady as Derek reaches down and undoes the button and the zipper on his blue jeans before pulling them down his legs and flinging them across the room. He smirks at the red boxer briefs his mate is wearing. He totally had him pegged as a tighty-whitey guy. The Alpha stares at him for a few moments, silently taking in all the pale skin stretched out across his bed and the bulge behind the tight underwear.

“What now?” Stiles asks as Derek starts to climb onto the bed. He drops one knee then the other onto the mattress and reaches out to run his fingers over the inside the human’s thigh with his right hand. His left hand gets busy pushing the two boxes of clothes that Stiles had been in the process of unpacking to the floor. The younger man squirms under his hand, the muscles tightening as the wolf leans over and drags open mouth kisses from his knee to just below where the briefs end.

“Now you lay back and let me introduce you to the pleasures of sex with an Alpha.” He quips as he moves from his thigh to his stomach, dragging the rough scrap of his stubble over the tender flesh just below his mate’s belly button. The Alpha bends his head and nips at the pale skin there, leaving behind little red spots that will turn to bruises in the morning. Stiles grunts and arches under the sharp pain but when Derek stops he mumbles his distress. He continues up, nipping at the pale flesh of the younger man’s abdomen and chest until he reaches the smooth expanse of his neck. The wolf doesn’t even have to prompt the human before he is tilting his head back and presenting the vulnerable skin to him for marking. “Do you know what a fucking turn on it is to have you bare your throat to me? Do you even know what it does my wolf?” Derek breathes against the exposed skin before setting his teeth firmly on the long tendon that stretches along the right side of Stiles’ throat. The taste of the warm flesh on his tongue is an aphrodisiac he didn’t know existed and his body vibrates as he clamps down hard on his control to keep himself in check.

“I...know…it’s…a…sign…of…sub…miss…mission.” Stiles pants between the breathy little moans escaping his mouth when Derek grinds his hips down to rub his pelvis against Stiles’. The sounds bounce off the soundproof walls of the bedroom and shoot through Derek’s body in hard licks that make his already hard cock throb against the zipper of his dress pants.

“Yes but it’s more than that…so much more.” He rasps as he pulls back from his piece of flesh and sees the wet red skin shimmering in the light from overhead. The Alpha drags his gaze up to his mates and growls. Stiles looks completely wrecked, wide eyes and flushed cheeks and that sinful mouth open and his lips damp and waiting for Derek to take them however he wants. And damn it does he _want_ , wants so badly he can feel the control he’s so proud of vibrating like a plucked string and any moment now he’s going to snap and completely blow them both away.

“What else does it mean?” Stiles as with curiosity as Derek hovers over him and prays for the strength to continue with the love play without losing it completely because as much fun as he knows that would be for him he doesn’t think his mate is ready for the wolf just yet. Not for his first time. Maybe not even his second. Someday he will be, at least Derek hopes so.

“It’s an offering, a complete surrender on the part of a mate. It’s the most powerful weapon in your arsenal. The wolf will always bow to the bared throat of his or her mate.” He states and watches as the smaller man absorbs the information with a nod. He holds himself still and waits for a response. Stiles doesn’t disappoint.

“I like that. The way you describe things it’s so…poetic sometimes.” He murmurs as he looks up at him, throat still bared.

“Baring your throat to me is the most intimate act you could possibly share with me. It’s a statement that you trust me.” He whispers as he brings his face back down to the pale column of his mate’s throat and nuzzles his face against the right side then the left. Derek sucks and bites the flesh under his lips.

“This might be premature but I do trust you. I mean, you’ve not given me any reason _not_ to trust you.” Stiles whimpers when he pulls back and looks down at him.

“I would never hurt you Stiles, _never_. It would cause me physical pain to harm you in anyway.” And that was actually a bit of an understatement. Hurting Stiles wouldn’t just cause Derek pain it would kill him.

“Good…that’s good to…know.” The younger man says as he licks his lips and Derek’s eyes are drawn down to the perfect pink skin. Without another word he leans forward and presses his lips against his mates and… _heaven._


	7. ..Clarity & Wedding Planning..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay ya'll seriously need to stop because I'm getting the big head here. Thank you for loving this story as much as I do and for giving it your time and attention. Now two things that need to be addressed:
> 
> 1\. I think people have gotten confused about Derek's part in the death of Scott and Allison. Derek is NOT the one who killed them. There is a story there that is going to come out but for right now know that he's not the killer but he knows who is and he had a part to play but didn't actually do anything wrong.
> 
> 2\. Isaac is referenced here as knowing Scott, Stiles and Allison but Stiles has not seen him since after Scott died and we already know that Isaac is a Beta of Derek's. There is a reason that will be explained in the next chapter.
> 
> Just sit tight and I hope ya'll will continue to come along with me for this adventure. :)

Stiles has kissed a total of three people before Derek.

First had been Lydia Martin when he was in the third grade and she had been dared to by one of the other girls in their class. It had been the beginning of a ten year nearly life ruining crush that had ended when Lydia got married.

Then Scott when they were fourteen and they had been at a sleepover with Lydia (don’t ask him how their socially awkward asses had managed to snag the invite to that party, it had just kind of happened). He had been so fucking excited at the prospect of playing his first game of spin the bottle but when the stupid bottle had landed on Scott instead of Lydia he had nearly died. But Scott had been a good bro and played along and it had been a surprisingly pleasant kiss. Not something he’d wanted to experience again but not something he had been traumatized by.

The third kiss had been with a girl named Ashlee who had lived next door to him when he was four for about three months. She had moved away to Washington, D.C. after her dad had gotten some FBI job but then her parents had divorced and she’d moved back when she was sixteen. It had been about six months after Scott and Allison died and she had invited him to go to a party with her because she felt sorry for him. They had both gotten ridiculously drunk and ended up dry humping on the couch in someone den. When the Sheriff’s Department had broken up the party he had been in the upstairs bathroom holding Ashlee’s hair up while she vomited. Sheriff Jordan Parrish, who had taken over after his father had died and had been a good friend of his father, had found them and taken them home but not before ripping Stiles a new one and guilt tripping him by saying “And what do you think your father would think of your actions, young man?”

Aside from those three kisses Stiles’ experience had been limited to what he had seen on television and in porn. He was pretty sure, however, that nothing could have ever prepared him for the experience of kissing Derek Hale. The man devoured him in the best possible way, using his whole body to make the experience stretch on for what felt like hours when really it was only a few minutes. He used his tongue to guide Stiles’ mouth open and lick at the roof of his mouth, to explore the warm inner flesh. He had been hesitant to allow his own exploration but the Alpha had insists on it, pulling his tongue into his mouth when Stiles reaches out to lick tentatively at his upper lip.

Derek’s hands roamed over the bare skin of his sides and up his arms to wrap around his wrists and squeeze reassuringly. He had wanted to move his hands then, run them through the Alpha’s hair and over the bulging muscles of his back and shoulders. But Derek had told him not to move. The younger man whimpers when the wolf pulls away, missing the contact.

“Shh, it’s okay…I’ve got you.” Derek whispers as he released his hold on Stiles’ wrist and moves up to pull his hands away from the rungs of the headboard. Stiles watches fascinated as the wolf moves his arms down and puts his hands on the warm skin of his shoulders. He brushes his thumbs over the hard muscles and watches as the other man’s eyes drift shut and he purrs in his throat. The sound shoots through his body like a bolt of lightning and lands low in his stomach.

“You’re skin is so…warm and soft. It feels like silk over steel.” He says as he takes the liberty of running his hands down the Alpha’s arms then back up to his shoulders. The bigger man shudders at the simple move and he realizes than that not only does Derek have power over _his_ body but he also has very real power over his fiancée’s as well. He grins at the thought and removes his hands from the amazing body in front of him. Pushing against the mattress he forces Derek to sit up as he does and the wolf goes back onto his hunches when Stiles crawls into the man’s lap. He positions himself so that his knees are on the bed on either side of the Alpha’s hips and their erections are line up perfectly.

He watches as emotions play across the other man’s face. Surprise, amusement, desire, _lust_. He wraps his arms around Derek’s neck and leans back in for another kiss. He doesn’t hesitate this time to push his tongue into his lover’s mouth and taste him again. Derek tastes like iced tea, fresh mint, and something spicy. It’s a taste Stiles could quickly become addicted to. He pushes his hips down to rub against the front of his fiancée’s pants.

“ _Fuck_ ,” Derek growls as he pulls his mouth away from Stiles’ and throws his head back, exposing his neck to the younger man in an unconscious move that he fully takes advantage of. Stiles leans forward and nips at the hollow of the Alpha’s throat, running his tongue along the long line of his carotid until he reaches the underside of his stubbly jaw and racks his teeth against the rough hair covered skin. He finds a steady rhythm with his hips, pressing down as Derek pushes up and meets him thrust for thrust. It’s a slow rocking movement that takes them both straight to the edge of orgasm and hangs them there over the ledge by their feet.

“I’m close,” he breathes against the bigger man’s ear when Derek reaches out and grabs at the muscles of his back, racking his nails against Stiles’ flesh. His own hands come up to grab two fistfuls of the Alpha’s dark locks and tug gently as the pleasure pulses through him like the hard pounding of the bass in the rap songs Scott had loved to listen to when he was alive.

“Bare your throat to me, pup.” Derek demands and when he complies the wolf leans forward and bites down hard on the skin where his shoulder meets his neck and that’s all it takes. Stiles’ eyes screw shut tightly as he lets out a shout of completion and feels warm globs of seaman releasing from his penis into the fabric of his underwear. It should feel icky but when he feels the Alpha shudder in his arms and the vibration of his chest as he follows the teenager into orgasmic heaven he can’t find it in himself to care.

He collapses back against the pillows when Derek let’s go of him and drops down to lie beside of him, breathing hard as if they just ran a marathon. He only opens his eyes when he feels his lover roll out of the bed. He watches as the big man shucks his ruined kakis and underwear and _hello_ , look at that lovely Alpha ass! Stiles wants to roll over and bite it but figures that it’s probably something he should discuss with the Alpha first. It’s a general rule of thumb not to surprise a werewolf. And holy shit balls; _he just had sex with a werewolf_! Okay, not _sex_ but it was close and there is the promise of more sex, like crazy hot, throw-me-down-and-fuck-me-harder sex to come! Stiles is really finding a hard time seeing the downside to this arrangement. He should probably be more freaked out about this than he is but he can’t really find it in himself to care at the moment. Life is good and everything is coming up Stiles Stilinski for once. 

“Where you going?” He asks sleepily because damn that orgasm took everything out of him. He feels weightless and like he might burst out into song at any minute now. Well, after he takes a quick nap of course.Derek looks over his shoulder at him and grins.

“To get a washcloth to clean you up with and then we’re going to get under the covers and take a nap until dinner.”

“I am completely okay with that.” He says in response and watches as Derek leaves because he is his future husband and he can.

When the Alpha comes back with a warm cloth he carefully removes Stiles’ ruined boxer briefs and drops them onto the floor with his own ruined clothes. He then proceeds to just as carefully clean the cum off of his groin and stomach. Stiles is embarrassed at how his dick jumps when the other man leans in close to make sure he got everything and he can feel the ghost of his breath over his sensitive bites and pieces.

“Later, I’m going to suck you off while I finger your ass.” Derek tells him when he throws the wet cloth over the side of the bed and stretches out beside Stiles. He runs his hands through the small trail of hair just below the younger man’s belly button and what do you know his cock begins to fill and he feels the flush of sexual desire rushing through him. He raises his gaze up from watching Derek’s fingers playing in his treasure trail to find the Alpha has his eyes closed and is breathing steadily.

“Um, dude, you can’t just say things like that and then go to sleep. Talk about rude.” Stiles says as he reaches over and pokes the wolf in the side. He doesn’t move, just continues to rake his fingers lazily through the fine hair on Stiles’ stomach. With a sigh the teenager lays back and stares up at the ceiling. It isn’t long before he follows the sleeping werewolf into the darkness.

Two things are very apparent to Stiles when he walks up from his nap nearly three hours later.

One: He has to pee, like _bad_.

Two: Someone is staring at him, like creepy staring.

He slowly raises his head and looks over the lump of the still sleeping Derek. Two sets of familiar green eyes stare back at him from across the room sharing a remarkably similar wide grin. He has to push down the scream that threatens to come roaring out of his throat when he realizes who they are. He groans and drops back down to the mattress. Derek grunts in his sleep and wiggles away from the flailing Stiles crossing his arms over his chest and looking like he’s just going to sleep through this whole exchange.

“Good afternoon sunshine,” Laura greets as she and Cora stand up from where they have been sitting on the window seat on the opposite side of the bedroom staring.

“Um, hey guys. What’s up?” He says as he sits up and tries not to blush when he notices the ruined clothes still on the floor not even a foot in front of the girls. Oh God, they are going to know what he and Derek had done earlier! His gaze makes its way back over to the sleeping form of his fiancée and he really wants to hit him because he’s still snoring away, completely oblivious to uncomfortable situation that is brewing directly beside of him.

“Well, we thought we’d come and steal you away from Sourpuss here and take you down for some wedding talk. Mom and Peter want your opinion on the stuff they already have picked out and we still need to find a venue before Wednesday.” Cora says matter-of-factly as she breezes across the room and into the walk-in closet.

“Oh, um, well…I’m kind of…Just let me…” Stiles realizes at that moment that not only is he naked but so is Derek and they never actually got _under_ the covers. His cheeks darken with heat as he reaches up and grabs a pillow to cover himself from the view of his future sisters-in-law. Wow, because his life hasn’t already been filled with embarrassing situations. He raises his eyes up to where Laura is now standing in the doorway. She smirks at him as she leans her slight frame against the wood and crosses her arms.

“Don’t be such a prude Stiles. It’s nothing Cora or I haven’t seen before. I’m married and Cora volunteered with the Red Cross to do mission work in Africa and Guadalajara for like three years when she was in college.” Laura tells him but thankfully turns around and walks into the sitting room so he can get up and escape to the bathroom.

As he closes the door behind himself he quickly crosses the room and takes care of his need to empty his bladder. He reaches up and grabs a towel from the stack on the wall and heads toward the sink. He catches a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror and mutters a curse when he sees the dark bruise from where Derek had bitten him. He thought he was marrying a werewolf not a fucking vampire. Stiles brings his hand up and presses against the red skin and the little tingle of pain makes him shiver. Okay, so he’s not as bothered by it as he would like to pretend. In fact, he’d go so far as to admit at least to himself that he likes that Derek has marked him. He pulls his attention away from the bruise and turns on the water to wash his hand. Now is not the time to be thinking about the Alpha and marking and sex, especially since his sisters are right outside and can likely smell everything he’s feeling. He is just finishing up when someone knocks on the bathroom door.

“Hey, I put some clothes on the bed for you. Laura and I will wait outside in the sitting room until you’re done.” Cora calls through the wood and Stiles wants to weep in gratitude. He wraps the towel around his waist and cracks the door open to peek out into the room. It’s empty except for the naked sleeping werewolf on the bed. The door to the bedroom is now shut and he can hear his future sisters-in-law talking quietly in the next room.

He dashes out of the bathroom and dresses quickly. Stile looks at Derek thinking he should probably wake him up and tell him where he is going but the Alpha looks so damn peaceful. He figures as long as he doesn’t leave the house that it should be okay for him to go meet with Talia and the girls.

_And Peter_ , he reminds himself with a shiver as he exits the bedroom and finds Laura and Cora sitting on the settee giggling like they’re twelve years old. When they notice him they stop but the twinkle in their eyes says they were talking about the situation they found him in with their brother.

“Alright…let’s hear it.” He prompts with a wave of his hand as he heads toward the door. They get up and follow him out into the hallway. He stops at the end of the corridor when he realizes he doesn’t know where the hell he is going and looks over his shoulder. Cora winks at him as she and Laura walk past him leading him to the right toward another wing of the massive house. They pass at least ten doors, some closed and some open. He tries to a peek inside the rooms with open doors but the female wolves are moving too fast and he has to rush to keep up with them.

“Oh, we weren’t going to say anything darling.” The older sister says with a wink as he catches up with them. Stiles tilts his head to the side and looked at her from under his lashes.

“Yeah, right,” he replies with a shake of his head. He remembers what it was like to have someone as close to him as a sibling. He can’t remember the number of times he had tormented Scott about Allison or his weird bromance with one their lacrosse teammates Isaac Lahey, who he hasn’t seen since after Scott’s death. Sometimes he had wondered if maybe there had been more to the friendship than Scott had been willing to tell him. But thinking of his best friend and all the things that they hadn’t gotten a chance to talk about made him sad so he pushed the thoughts away.

“No, seriously. We are saving it up for Derek. He’s much more fun to pick on. He gets embarrassed like super easily and it’s so much fun to watch him flailing around and stammer. It’s my favorite pastime.” Cora tells him as they turn down another hallway and descend a flight of stairs into what he assumes is the back part of the mansion. Stiles can hear the light sounds of classical music and roar of raised voices from the open door at the end of the hallway.

“My daughters gets a sick sense of enjoyment from torturing their brother.” A deep male voice says from behind them and Stiles shouts as he turns around and raises his arms to defend himself. Mark Hale is standing behind them with his bottom lip pulled between his teeth to keep from laughing.

“Daddy! You scared the shit out of him.” Cora says as she leans back against the wall and dissolves into a fit of giggles. Laura reaches out and puts her hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

“Cora, watch your mouth.” Talia tells her youngest daughter as she appears in the hallway with Peter right behind her. Cora’s laughter instantly dries up and she mutters a quick apology as Talia and Peter turn to go back into the room they had just came out of. The other three people followed silently behind them.

“Oh my god!” Stiles gasps as he steps over the threshold into an honest to God _ballroom_.

The ceilings are well over twelve foot high and white plaster with the most gorgeous golden inlays. He can’t make out the design but the overall effect is so gorgeous he falls instantly in love with the ceiling. The floors are a polished white marble and the walls are light sea foam green. There are tall windows all the way down the wall to his left offering a beautiful view of a formal garden complete with a smallish white gazebo in the center. The windows are closed now but long sheer white curtains hang from golden curtain rods and the human boy can just picture what they will look like fluttering in the warm summer breeze. The entire place looks like something directly out of the romance novels Melissa loves to read. He has a moment where he hears the soft twinkle of the classical music and he can see himself and Derek waltzing gracefully around the room. It’s a totally ridiculous daydream because _hello,_ he can barely manage to walk and talk at the same time! But he smiles as he thinks about how cool it would be if he could pull that off.

“Do you like it?” Talia asks as she steps over to stand beside him and puts a hand on his shoulder. He can’t seem to form the words to speak so he just nods.

“Excellent,” this comes from Peter who is sitting at a table to Stiles’ right. He turns and frowns. The table is covered with magazines showing off various wedding décor, swatches of fabrics, packages of bubbles and bird seed, and a giant binder with its contents bursting to get out.

“Here, let us show you what we have already.” Laura says from her spot beside her uncle and beckons him over. Stiles crosses the room on wobbly knees and can’t stop himself from taking one last look around. He really loves this room.

“So we are totally thinking of having the reception here…” Cora begins and Stiles quickly cuts her off without thinking.

“I am one hundred percent on board with that.” He nods as he leans over the table to get a look at one of the magazines. The page is dog-eared in the upper right hand corner and the picture is of the most horrendous floral arrangement the teenager has ever seen. He sincerely hopes that that isn’t one they have picked for his wedding because he is totally reserving the right to veto that monstrosity. It takes him a moment to realize that no one is talking and then another moment to realize why. He cringes as he raises his eyes up to look at Cora who is staring at him grinning with her eyebrows raised. “Sorry, I…uh, I keep forgetting the whole ‘don’t cut the Alpha’s off when they’re talking’ thing.” Mark laughs at him and Peter actually smiles, like a full blown smile and it’s oddly not as creepy as he thought it would be.

“Overlook her, darling,” Laura tells him as she reaches over and pats his hand. “She’s just not used to someone speaking over her. You’re family and we don’t stand on formal rules here.” Cora winks at him as if to show there are no hard feelings and he sighs in relief.

“So we are good with having the reception here. What about the actual ceremony? Do you want a church or maybe an outside wedding?” Talia asks as she takes out a pen and a yellow legal pad. Stiles thinks for a moment before answering.

“Do you think we could do an outside wedding?” He really likes the thought of doing it in the gazebo in the garden but the weather is kind of unpredictable in April and he doesn’t want their guests to get drowned in the rain.

“I think we could pull it off. The weather forecast is clear and sunny and a little warmer than usual. We could bring in a tent or two to be on the safe side in case of rain. Did you have somewhere in mind?” The One Wolf turns her green eyes so similar to Derek’s up to him in inquiry.

“I was thinking maybe the gazebo right outside? I mean, I don’t know how many guests we’ve got or anything…” He trails off and lets his gaze shoot over to where he can see the white structure through the windows.

“Not many, mostly family and friends from our side and then Melissa and any of your friends.” Talia says as she pulls the large binder toward her and flips through it until she comes to whatever it is she is looking for a taps her finger against the laminated page. Stiles’ heart clinches in his chest.

“I don’t have any friends or family aside from Melissa.” The words slip out before he can stop them and the entire table goes quite again but this time when he looks around he seems they’re all staring at him with sympathy. He drops his eyes down to the horrible floral arrangement to escape their knowing eyes.

“Well, you have something better now.” The deep growl of his fiancée’s voice makes him snap his head up and whirl around to look at him. He’s dressed in a pair of loose gray joggers with a black wife beater that like every single shirt the man owns stretches tantalizingly across his chest. The wolf crosses the room on bare feet and pulls him up and into his arms, tucking him close and wrapping him tightly in his warmth. Stiles goes rigid for a moment before finally letting himself return the embrace. “You have me now.” Derek whispers into his ear as he bends his head down to nuzzle the collar of Stiles’ t-shirt out of the way and press a kiss to the bite mark that he left there.

When he pulls back Stiles looks up at him and it’s like lightening is racing through his body and his heart feels like it’s going to explode and he has a sudden, amazing moment of clarity where it hits him that Derek Hale is in love with him. The soft look on his face makes the teenagers heart clinch in his chest and his stomach is doing back flips and he feels that same weightless feeling from earlier after they’d rubbed off against each other.

_Derek Hale is in love with me, Derek Hale is in love with me, Derek Hale is in love with me..._ Plays on a constant loop through his brain and he smiles up at the older man. He doesn’t know how it happened or why or any of the one hundred billion questions that are running through his head right now and honestly he can’t really say that he cares to much because _Derek Hale_ is in love with him! It’s better than Christmas!

“Yes, yes I do.” He whispers as he leans forward and buries his face against the warm fabric of the wolf’s shirt and inhales. The spicy wood smoke scent is coming off of Derek again and he rubs his face against the warmth hoping to cover himself in it so that when the older man lets go he’ll still be able to smell him on his skin.

“Alright you two, break it up. We have a wedding to plan!” Talia calls to them and Stiles reluctantly untangles himself from the Alpha.


	8. ..Let The Bells Ring..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I lied in the last author's note. Isaac's situation is going to wait one more chapter. But we get a little bit about the True Mate situation here from Derek and some more hints at things yet to come with some bad crap that is going to go down because the angst monster has taken a hold of me and won't let go. But I tried to keep it fluffy because I wanted fluffy and I think I managed and just here...have chapter eight.
> 
> P.S. Again guys I feel so unworthy of your love but I accept it wholeheartedly. Thank you!

Derek is going to rip someone’s throat out…with his teeth. He frowns at the image of himself that is reflected back at him from the mirror above his dresser and tugs at the cravat his father had just finished tying. Why the hell his mate had picked suits with a cravat? He feels like he is being strangled by the offending white garment. The Alpha is seriously considering shredding the damn thing.

“Stop pulling at it,” Mark says with a sharp slap against the back of his hand. The Alpha growls and mumbles curses under his breath as he moves around the room trying to make the fabric of the suit loosen. The damn thing has been tailored to fit his body but it feels like it has sandpaper sewn inside it. His entire body is vibrating with barely contained rage and he knows it’s from the fact that Laura and Cora had taken Stiles away from him last night.

_‘You can’t stay with your fiancée the night before your wedding!’_ Laura had exclaimed when he had attempted to tug Stiles’ upstairs. Since their first time together he had had a hard time keeping his hands off of the teenager. Everything about Stiles called to him and though he hadn’t fucked the younger man yet he knew every single part of his body like it was his own. He had taken the time to map the exact location of every single freckle and mole and scar. Had lavished them with attention while the boy writhed under him and begged. He had watched as his mate had been dragged out the front door and shoved into the backseat of Laura’s car. He had whined helplessly when his mother had ordered him to stay and let Stiles go with his sisters. The wolf had needed to shift after that and he had run himself into exhaustion and woken up naked in the forest just outside the backdoor of the house. His mother had yelled at him for half an hour when he had come wandering out of the trees and scared the caterer.

“Nervous?” His dad asks as he turns around to finish tying his own cravat. Derek gives him a pained look that makes the older man chuckle. “Yeah, I remember the day I married your mom. I couldn’t focus on anything else and then when it was time to go I stood up there and nearly threw up until I heard the wedding march. Then I saw her and it all just faded away. I felt like I was the luckiest man alive.” Tears feel the human mans eyes as he stares off into blank space for a moment, clearly remembering his own wedding day. The Alpha feels a lump forming in his throat as he watches his dad, feels the love and happiness bouncing off of him. It goes a long way in calming the wolf.

“I feel like maybe I’m rushing things a bit. I mean I haven’t told him about what happened the night his best friend died or what happened after. I haven’t told him that he’s my true mate. I haven’t told him about…” Mark cuts him off with a shake of his head.

“It’ll come, Derek. You just have to trust that when you are ready to tell him that he’ll be ready to listen and understand. The important thing to remember is that you have him now and you need to do everything in your power to keep him safe.” The older man says as he finishes with his cravat and comes over to stand beside his son. Derek takes a moment to appreciate the picture the two of them make in the mirror.

His dad isn’t old and he knows that because of the mate bond he shares with Derek’s mother he won’t age like normal human’s do and isn’t susceptible to most human disease. But there are just the barest hints of gray at his temples of his coal black and the Alpha thinks it gives him a distinguished look. His light brown eyes have the barest hints of crow’s feet at the corners and he has laugh lines on his forehead and around his mouth. The Alpha always wants his father to be like this, happy and health and whole. He tries not to think about the fact that just under a year ago he had almost lost his entire family because he had been stupid. He tries not to think about the grimy underbelly of the werewolf world that Stiles hasn’t been made privy to and that he is unknowingly being brought into by marrying Derek. He defiantly doesn’t think about the fact that there are hunters out there right now who would love nothing more than to see him dead and collect the reward money that has been hanging over his head for close to two years and how those same hunters wouldn’t think twice about using his young fiancée to get to him.

“I won’t let anyone hurt him.” Derek growls and flashes his Alpha eyes. His father reaches out and puts a hand on his shoulder and squeezes tightly to calm him down.

“I know that and so does your mother.”

“Derek! Oh my God! Look at you!” Laura squeals in delight as she comes barreling through the bedroom door just seconds before he is about to tell his father again what a horrible idea this might be. He just manages to reach out and catch her before she tackles him. Cora, his mother, and Jackson are behind her. His sisters are both dressed in matching deep purple dresses that look like pieces of sheer curtain draped over silk that stop just above their knees and show off silvery high heels he doesn’t understand how they could possibly walk in. His mother is wearing the same color but her own gown is one long shaft of silk that drapes over her shoulders and down to cover her feet. He narrows his eyes at his brother-in-law when he sees that the other man is wearing a suit but hasn’t been forced into a ridiculous neck cloth like him. That is something he fully intends to take up with his sister later. Then his gaze travels beyond them to search the hallway hoping to find his mate will follow them into the room but his mother shakes her head as she crosses the room.

“He is one of the guest rooms down stairs with Melissa finishing getting ready.” Talia tells him as Laura pulls away from him and she moves in to wrap her arms around him. He can smell Stiles’ sweet scent on her clothes and it combines with the delicate floral scent of his mother and he hugs her tighter. His wolf fades back at the knowledge that his Alpha knows the location of his mate and that he is safe and close. When she pulls back the One Wolf takes his face in her hands and smiles at him. Tears are pooling in her green eyes and he gives a soft whine at the sign of distress. “You look so handsome my baby.” His mother pulls his head down and presses a kiss to his forehead.

“She’s right. You clean up good Grump Gills McHale.” Cora quips as she comes forward to hug him. He smiles at her and feels his heart kick hard against his ribs. His family might be the nosiest, rudest, most intrusive people he has meet but ultimately he loves them all so much. The Alpha raises his eyes to meet his brother-in-laws gaze and the other Alpha nods his head in acknowledgment. He returns the gesture and then takes a deep breath. This might be a bad idea but as he looks at his mother with his father and Laura with Jackson he can’t help but want what they have. To finally have the other half of his soul and feel the mate bond between them. Nothing in the world is worth giving that up.

“So…let’s get this thing started shall we?”

It takes a total of thirty minutes to get everyone where they are supposed to be. The large white tent that his mother and sisters had had brought in is stationed in the formal garden which has been transformed from its usual clash of colors and hodgepodge variety of flowers into a harmonious arrangement of purple, white and green blooms. The cobblestone walkway is lined with little white lanterns holding tea candles and embossed with a giant golden ‘H’ interlocking with an ‘S’. There are dozens of people are milling around the garden in groups and talking and laughing while they wait. It doesn’t escape his notice that every few feet are men wearing suits who look to be just average party guests but the way they are standing at attention and constantly swiveling their heads around to monitor the surroundings give them away as security. He passes several members of the Were Council and their families, stops to speak briefly with his three best friends and Betas Isaac Lahey, Vernon Boyd, and Erica Reyes, and to be fussed over by Peter who unties his cravat and redoes it twice before directing Derek to stand under an arbor of delicate purple wisteria.

“So, I know that we have had our differences in the past…” Peter begins as he looks at everything but the other Alpha because he knows what’s coming and he doesn’t think he can take it at the moment. He doesn’t like his uncle, the man tried to kill him when he was barely sixteen!

“Please, don’t play the dotting uncle right now Peter. I already feel like I’m going to start ripping people’s throats out.”

“I have always dotted on you Derek. It might not always seem like it but I am very proud of you and I am rather fond of Stiles as well.” Derek turns his gaze to look directly at his uncle, fully prepared to tear his head from his shoulders but he makes himself take the time to really look at him, to really and truly see his meaning behind the words. There is sincerity there in his clear blue stare and pride and… _affection!_

“Go sit down Peter before I strangle you.” He growls and with a chuckle the older Alpha walks down the pathway to where his parents are standing.

Everything gets quite after that, very quite as people find their seats and he stands under the arbor. He sees his mother and father move together to sit in the front with the rest of the Hale’s and on the opposite side of the isle is Melissa who is chatting with one of the members of the Were Council and his wife. The woman catches his eye and offers him a smile and a wink as she smoothes her hands over the delicate silk of her dress that matches his mother. Derek wasn’t sure if that was intentional or not, he’d attempted to stay as far out of the wedding planning process as possible, but the woman looks as beautiful as his own mother does. He smiles back at her and attempts to hide how nervous he is.

He is pretty sure he is going to vomit. His stomach is tying itself into knots and his palms are sweating. Suddenly Dr. Alan Deaton appears at his right and he turns his attention to the older man. The man’s kind brown eyes stare back at him from his dark face and he offers the werewolf a smile and a quick pat on the shoulder.

“I hope you don’t mind but I asked your mother if I could officiate.” The veterinarian leans in to whisper low in Derek’s ear. “I got my license from the internet about a week before Mr. Stilinski accepted your offer.” He nods and then the first strings of the song Stiles had chosen for his entrance start to play. The instrumentals of Ed Sheeran’s ‘ _Thinking Out Loud’_ play from speakers hidden at various points around the tented area and surrounding garden. Dear God, he is actually going to have a heart attack this time!

Derek’s head jerks around and he watches as the guests rise from their seats and turn to stare down the lantern lined cobblestone. The backdoors of Hale House open wide by two security men and Stiles steps over the threshold and out into the sunlight. Everything fades away from the Alpha’s view except his fiancée and his heart stops beating for a moment before starting again and jumping into his throat at the sight of his mate.

He is dressed much the same as Derek. The tailored black suit nipping in at his waist and wrapping around his shoulders to show off his lean frame but instead of a plain white cravat his is delicate purple that matches the wisteria hanging around Derek’s head. The Alpha breathes a sigh of relief as his True Mate walks with deliberate steps toward him. His amber eyes locked with the wolf’s are wide and stunned. He smiles warmly and when Stiles gets close enough he reaches out his hand toward the younger man who slides his palm into Derek’s and let’s himself be pulled closer. Silence stretches for just a few moments as the music fades out and he looks down at the love of his life. How was it possible that he had lived so long without the teenager in his life? How was it possible that even with all the bad shit that could happen he had thought it would be a good idea to _not_ marry Stiles? The wolf howls inside his head so loudly he was surprised the sound didn’t actually come out of his mouth.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness these two young men in holy matrimony…” and that is the last thing Derek hears before he is swallowed up in the radiance that is Stiles and the happiness that is bouncing around inside of him.


End file.
